Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'
by White Wolf Fan Fiction
Summary: Noel Jamie Hart is your average kid that loves magic and Poptropica... until he isn't. Having already experienced one island, actually living the experience of Poptropica and its terrible humor and non-existent logic, he knows what to expect, but he's in for a trip when his entire life suddenly turns upside down on his way to Night Watch Island. (Full Summary and Info Inside.)
1. Prologue

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** Noel Jamie Hart is your average kid that loves magic and Poptropica... until he isn't. Having already experienced one island, actually _living_ the experience of Poptropica and its terrible humor and non-existent logic, he knows what to expect, but he's in for a trip when his entire life suddenly turns upside down on his way to Night Watch Island. With everything that's happened now, can he still save Poptropica _and_ find a way back home? Or will he be stuck there, alone, for the rest of his life?

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own gameplay and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

* * *

 **Prologue**

-0-

I have made the biggest mistake in my life, since discovering that I was somehow transported into the world of a very popular game that I used to spend almost all my time on when I didn't have school or when I wasn't hanging out with my friends or my family. It was only just recently that I discovered just how much danger I'm in, losing _everything_ I've ever known: my sister, my mom and my dad, my school, my friends, my _life_ … all because of a freaking madman that I'm starting to suspect is the cause of my situation here on Poptropica.

But, before I get into all of that… let me explain to you who exactly I am and _why_ I started off by saying that I made a mistake… one so catastrophic that… I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to fix things and go back home.

My name is Noel Jamie Hart and I'm a blonde haired, blue eyed kid that once had a normal life: a home, two loving parents, the greatest big sister any boy could ask for, the best school in the country, and the greatest friends alive. I'm a junior magician that can probably fool you with the average card trick, pull a rabbit from my hat, turn my cane into flowers, and I as it just so happens, I can unlock almost any kind of lock, including handcuffs, with even just a simple little pin thing that girls use to pull back their hair from their face.

I'm… _supposed_ to be a twelve year old who had just been looking to have a little fun with a game he loved to play around with… Keywords: supposed to be…

Which leads me back to the fact that I've made the _biggest_ mistake of my life and I don't know how I'll ever fix it.

Let me start at the beginning.

The first island I went to after having found myself in the classic Poptropican blimp, was Back Lot Island, a strange island that resembled Hollywood of Earth where I had to help out on different sets to help create a movie for a guy named Carson Willis and his lovely assistant Sophia May. After I did everything I needed to, I finally got a medallion that I soon learned was the first of _many_ that I had to collect… if I ever wanted to return home, that is.

So I set off in search of the next island… of what I _thought_ was going to be Night Watch Island.

But then happened the storm that blew me off course.

My blimp crashed, what seemed like hours after the storm hit, and I'd landed on a strange little island _covered_ in freezing cold ice and, disoriented and feeling like a frozen popsicle, I sought out shelter in a nearby cave.

That was _all_ I wanted to do… but then… then I found something inside, something I _wasn't_ supposed to find. Something that changed _me_ and I wish that I could take it all back, but I _can't_.

Because what I found was a little amulet, with a beautiful silver chain and the gem was the prettiest of blues I'd ever seen in my entire life and I just… I had only just wanted to try it on, I _swear_. But when I did, everything _changed_. I _heard_ things and I saw lights and then I saw… nothing.

And when I woke up… the amulet was gone, the entire area felt a thousand times colder and I didn't even know what changed until I looked into ice that was clear enough that it let me see my reflection.

I almost wish I hadn't… because I was older. Not by too much, but by enough years that I could _see_ the difference and it terrified me, because I was no longer twelve… I looked like I was _at least_ five or so years older. And I had panicked, because if that much time had passed, what was going to happen now? Would I have been able to get home now if I still continued my journey to save Poptropica?

Does time _here_ … affect… _Earth_ …?

That thought, more than the others, had broke me, because what would happen to my sister? My mom or my dad? My school?

If I was older here, would I be older back on Earth too? If that was the case, while I was stuck here, what was happening back there?

I had _never_ felt so scared in my life than I did then, and I'll admit… I was scared enough that I had just… _sat_ there… for hours, crying for my mom and my dad and for Alexis.

I just… I just _want_ to go _home_ …

Is that too much to ask…?


	2. SOS Island

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** Noel finally moves forward and is led from the frozen island to a frozen, and sinking, ship! He must gather his wits, help the people off the ship, and prevent an old ship captain from killing himself with stupidity in the process. But can he survive the frozen waters, the dangerous sea creatures, and the island obstacles thrown at him in the process?

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

* * *

 **S.O.S Island**

-0-

A week. That's how long I'd stayed on that frozen island before I had finally gathered myself up enough to just _move_. And the first thing I did was assemble the blimp back up, repairing what I could to make it at least useable in my state of mind. And the second thing? I climbed in and just left. Not even sparing a second glance towards the frozen wasteland that I'd taken refuge in after the storm.

For two days I'd floated along the air, frozen clouds surrounding me in the sky, birds scarce the farther I went, and the sea nearly frozen beneath me. And for two days, I'd spent most of my time crying and sleeping, unfortunately, not even _caring_ if or when I would spot another island.

At least, not until I finally spotted _something_ worth my attention in the frozen ocean below: a ship. One that was sinking. And fast, by the looks of it.

So, steeling myself up, I went down, to offer what help I could.

It escaped my attention though that this ship was one of Poptropica's quests: S.O.S Island. Which always puzzled me, because the ship wasn't an island, but… then again, I've always questioned Poptropica's logic and this was no different.

Going down to the iceberg near the ship, I noticed that smoke was coming from it, and the ship was obviously on its last legs. It kind of reminded me of the Titanic, though thankfully without the icky lovey-dovey romance or whatever.

Climbing down the rope- I had decided to leave my hat, my cane, my cape, and my bowtie in the blimp, somehow just k _nowing_ that this was going to be a disaster on my outfit- I landed on the ice and spared a worried glance towards the sinking ship before turning to the people in the boat nearby.

"Hey!" I shouted, calling down to them and caught their attention, thankfully, as a woman in a dark blue ship outfit- I never knew what those were called, not that I paid much attention to stuff like that anyway- cried out in a sort of half-hysterical relief and swam from an orange donut thing to the iceberg I stood on, climbing out of the water and standing directly before me, a little out of breath it looked like. "O-oh, are you alright? What _happened_!?" I questioned her, so fully of worry that I was feeling jittery and tense.

"Help! You have to help us!" she cried, "There are still people trapped inside!" Directing her attention towards the ship, I noticed the people in the little boat coming up to the ice, climbing from it, some in hysterics, others looking pained, and it made me wince before I turned my attention to the actual ship and I bit my lower lip before nodding.

"Y-yeah, o-okay…" I stuttered out, shivering as I finally felt the cold wrap around me in the intense setting around me. I _really_ wish I had a thicker jacket, and now that I think about it, I have _no_ idea how I survived in that cave without one. Guess I just had too much on my mind…

Right, okay. Sinking ship, trapped people… gotta save them all before it's too late. Got it.

Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I ran over to the ship, grimacing at the broken railing before me before finally gripping tight to it, hissing and pulling back when I felt just how _cold_ the metal was. "O-okay, c-c-come on… I-I can _do_ this… I-I _totally_ g-g-got this…" I'm pretty sure I'd feel a lot more confident if my teeth weren't chattering so much as it was. "A-actually… maybe I _should_ see i-if… if anyone has… h-has an extra jacket o-or s-s-s-someth-thing…"

Backing away slowly, I glanced back behind me and nodded shakily, knowing that _surely_ the ship would last enough time for me to talk to everyone at least once or something.

Making my way back across the ice, careful not to slip and fall into the freezing waters below, the first person I came across was a man dressed with a large black cowboy hat, black sunglasses, and a life-jacket with loads of money sticking from his hat, jacket and in his hands. Wow… "E-excuse me, do you-"

"What a nightmare!" he suddenly shouted, growling and gritting his teeth in anger and frustration, almost seeming like he didn't even notice me standing there. "This has _completely_ ruined my dinner plans." he added and I frowned, unable to help it. There was an entire ship _sinking_ and all he cared about was _dinner plans_ …?

Shaking my head, I moved on to a pretty girl with brown hair tied back in a ponytail and she looked more distressed than anyone I've seen so far, "H-hey… y-you okay…?" I asked and she turned sharply to me, gasping slightly in surprise before nodding shakily and then, as if changing her mind, she shook her head furiously, scrubbing at her eyes as they leaked tears.

"My brother, Ishmael, is still on the _ship_. You've got to _help_ him!" she pleaded and I held up my hands, immediately going back to rubbing furiously at my arms to try and warm up.

"I-it's okay, I-I-I'm gonna help h-him, d-don't worry…" I promised her and she smiled shakily, nodding her head.

"T-thank you…" she whispered back, sniffling and I smiled back, a bit of warmth making itself known inside me, pleased I could reassure her like this. I'll save everyone, even if I freeze in the process… which, I certainly _hope_ I don't. I can't _stand_ the cold… so this is kind of a bit of a nightmare for me.

Making my way further down the ice, I steadied myself before jumping from one ice platform to the next, coming across a curly blonde haired lady next and I sighed in relief when I looked around us, seeing a hot cocoa machine, a large orange tent with a green plus on the side, and water and snacks in a crate beside it all. There was also a guy with spiky brown hair pacing back and forth near the crate of food.

First thing I did was get me a cup of hot cocoa, sighing in relief when the cup filled my hands with warmth and the drink soothed my aching insides. And now that I was at least, _somewhat_ warm… sort of… I decided to talk to the blonde lady. "Thank goodness we made it out safely!" she seemed relieved at that and the brown haired guy snorted.

"Yeah, but it's so cold! I can see my breath!" he complained and she shot a scolding look back at him.

"It's much better than sinking with the ship, you should be grateful!" she said, sharp and dangerous and I shivered, out of fear rather than the cold, but her attention was snapped back towards me anyway, her eyes wide. "Oh dear! You must be freezing in just that flimsy little jacket of yours! Come on, I saw a spare jacket in the tent over there that you can have." she waved me over to the tent and grateful, I followed her, grinning weakly in thanks.

She rummaged through a couple of suitcases, ones that looked like they made it out of the wreckage okay and got out a big fluffy winter coat, one that would normally be a bit too big on me, but seeing as I… yeah. It fit okay when I tried it on and I felt _much_ warmer than before, and when she smiled at me and shooed me off, I couldn't help but grin back, hugging her in thanks before making my way back out of the tent.

Now that I found a jacket and had talked to everyone out here, I decided to finally head back towards the ship and see what use I could be there.

Going back to the ship, I finally climbed up the railing, ignoring the cold, and I grimaced when I felt the ship shaking beneath my feet. "G-gotta hurry…" I whispered to myself, clenching my hands into fists before running along the deck and towards the first door I saw, barely able to keep the whine inside when I saw the huge chunk of ice blocking the entrance. "A-aw, c-come on!"

Okay, okay, _think_ …

There were large cracks in the ice, so that must have meant that it could be broken or smashed, right? Now, just to figure out exactly _what_ I could use. Shaking my head, I snorted and then looked up, because _really_ , it's Poptropica, so of _course_ there was a giant round ice boulder thing on top of the ship, already ready to be pushed on top of the ice chunk blocking the door.

Seriously. Where's the logic again? ...right, there isn't any.

Trying to climb the ice up is a bit of a fail, since it's too slippery to get a proper hold on. And there was a giant pile of it blocking my way to the other side of the ship… which meant only one thing: I had to climb into the freaking _water_ to get to the other side. And okay, while I would have no problem with this while playing the game on my own, I wasn't just _playing_ it. I was _living_ it. And in going into the water, my coat and clothes would get soaked and my bones would _freeze_. Surely there had to be another way?

No. Unfortunately, there wasn't.

On the other hand… there were donut things all across the water and a broken boat further along, so if I spaced my jumps right, I could get across with minimal damage done to myself or the clothes I was wearing.

Grinning, the perfect plan forming in my head, I jumped down from the ship and landed on the first donut thing- I _really_ needed to learn the names of these things, because seriously, these aren't donuts… not even _close_ \- and made ready to jump from that one to the next. I did this a few times before finally coming to the broken boats I saw and I jumped onto them, freezing up when I thought for sure my added weight would tip them over, but I sighed in relief and straightened up, brushing down the coat in a fit of nervous excitement as I looked back up to the ship.

Getting up to the other side of the ship, as it turned out, was easier than I thought it would be, jumping from one boat to the next before making the final leap up to the ship. It didn't hurt to climb the black ropes that normally held the boats in place either, so I made it safely.

Finally where I wanted to be, I made quick work to climb up to the top to push the boulder over so I could _finally_ access the blocked entrance. The boulder was heavy, but with the help of the sinking ship itself, I was able to push it off the edge and onto the chunk of ice, cheering in triumph when the chunk of ice smashed into pieces.

Climbing back down the ship, I made my way back to the doorway and finally went inside, glad to have passed the first obstacle.

-0-

Finally getting inside, the first thing I noticed was the little amount of warmth that was provided upon getting out of the frigid air. The second thing I noticed… was how _dark_ it was and I was _never_ too fond of the dark. I still have a little nightlight, in the shape of a rabbit with a top hat on, in my room and I admit that sometimes Alexis lets me sleep in her room so I don't get scared of the 'monsters' in the dark or whatever. And the third thing I noticed was the bit of water that had gathered inside the ship and I grimaced, frowning at the puddles, knowing that if I didn't hurry, those puddles would become bigger and bigger with each passing minute.

Making my way through down the stairs, I started down the hall, past the fire hydrant and the several boxes and crates. I was disheartened to see several of the doors with broken handles and cracked glass, and several of the lights hanging above shook dangerously, most of them with broken lamps. All of them not working.

I walked passed two doors labeled 'Ballroom' and 'Galley', and found past that, three more doors, two with more broken handles and the other, looking relatively okay considering the damage to other doors. At the back of the hall was a room labeled 'Boiler Room', and like the ballroom and the Galley, was blocked by crates that were too heavy for me to move right now, so I couldn't go inside them yet.

Checking out the room, marked '6', with the okay handle, I decided to try it out and see if it was okay to enter. But, of course, as luck would have it… it's locked. "I'll need to find a key or something unlock this door…" I sighed, wanting so bad to be able to unlock the door on my own, but I couldn't, not then at least.

Going back down the hall, making a mental note to return to that door when I found a way to unlock it, I finally decided to go down the other hall, past the exit to the ship's exterior… only to find absolutely nothing within the hall that was filling up quickly with water.

Backing away from the water, I bit at my lower lip before finally realizing that there was another door at the top of the stairs, next to the one marked 'Exit'. So, leaving the water where it was, because there was no way I could do anything to fix the damage already done to the ship, I went back up the stairs, hopping them two at a time in my haste to get away from the frigid waters, and opened the door labeled 'Bridge'.

Grimacing at the amount of water in the room, I stepped past it all and made my way past several displays of model ships. Even past a broken display case of a broken sword and somewhat okay gun before reaching a strange staircase that lead to the second floor to an area that looked like a control room.

And the first thing I saw was a little panel of switches and well, the ship was already kind of sinking so… why not?

...never place a twelve year old- er… oh screw it! I'm still twelve, darn it! Whatever that amulet did doesn't count, I swear!

 _Anyway_ … never place a _twelve year old_ \- ha!- in a room full of buttons and switches.

"Careful! We're in enough trouble as it is!" an old, gruff voice shouted at me and I flinched, backing away from the controls before walking over to the old man in front of all the controls. "Are there any survivors?" he called sharply into a microphone, "Any survivors on board, _please_ press your Emergency Call Button!"

"What _happened_ here?" I questioned when the old man, his hair gray and weird, turned towards me. I knew the ship was sinking, but I didn't know _why_ … and well, if I was gonna save everyone, may as well know how they got into the situation in the first place.

"'Twas the wicked white whale!" he scowled, eyes narrowed and I frowned, "I had him in my sights, and then he turned and rammed us!"

"A… a _whale_ did this to the ship?" That was ridiculous… whales were kind and peaceful creatures, I think. At least that's what my teacher told us; even Killer Whales, the ones that snacked on sharks, seals, and penguins or something like that.

He sighed then and scrubbed a hand over his face, "Aye, my mortal enemy. Been hunting him for years… looks like he finally got me." he answered sadly and I couldn't help but make a sad noise of my own in return. But, while his story was sad, it didn't change the fact that the ship was sinking, whale or no whale.

"I'm very sorry about the uh… the _whale_ but… but you need to get off this ship!" I urged, flailing out my arms. "We're _sinking_ in case you haven't noticed and any second now you could be at the bottom of the sea with the rest of it!"

Snorting at my words, he moved a hand up to fix the cap on his head before crossing his arms, eyes narrowed at me, a little smirk playing at his mouth, "Don't you know the captain always goes down with the ship?" He sighed then again when I made a choked noise in shocked panic and shook his head, "Most of my passengers escaped, but there are a few still left on board. Go and rescue them!" he nodded his head in an urgent manner and I puffed my chest out as I nodded, accepting the task. "I have turned on the Emergency Door Controls. Open the doors by turning that knob there, behind you." he said and I did exactly that, going back over to the controls and I grinned, having been given permission by the _captain_ to mess with one of the buttons and knobs on the controls.

Reaching up, I turned the knob from red to green and made a noise of pride and triumph, feeling particularly pleased with myself. "Done! The Emergency Doors are no open!" Looking back at the captain, he nodded his head and moved his hands in a 'shooing' motion and I saluted to him before finally running back, determined to get this done right and hopefully before the ship actually does sink.

So… back to door '6' I go…!

-0-

Upon entering the room, I was immediately greeted by a strange man trapped among boxes and things, screaming, "Save me, whale!" Slightly unnerved by that and by the giant _spear_ hanging on the wall above the hammock, I proceeded cautiously to try and get him out of the mess and out to safety.

"H-hey, it's okay! I'm here to help!" I tried, running over to him, digging into the pile before finally moving the heavy boxes he was stuck beneath. Letting out a small sigh of relief, I watched as he made a noise of ecstatic glee, jumping away from the mess.

"Thanks! My leg was stuck under all that junk." he grinned at me and I smiled back, pleased with his gratitude.

"You're welcome!" I answered in return, "What were you doing in here, anyway?"

"I'm calling that friendly whale to come save us," he said, as if it was obvious, nodding to the strange toy thingy on a suitcase atop one of the shelves.

"Erm… don't you know that it was the _whale_ that rammed the ship?" I asked him, curious, and he frowned, actually looking insulted at the implication. But… it's what I heard from the captain himself, so… it was true, right? My mom says that grownups are always right… except when it comes to something between her and Dad, then she's always the one right.

"That… that _can't_ be! Whales are so friendly and cute!" he argued, shaking his head sharply and I sighed, feeling a little sympathetic for the guy. I remember a time when I thought like that about dogs, because I used to have this cute little Siberian Husky and then one day she was gone and Mom said it was because she bit our neighbor and had to get put down. I didn't believe it and cried for three months over her, I was so upset. Finally I believed her because our neighbor, Mr. Kensington showed me the dog bite, the one Misty gave him. I thought she was too cute and nice to do that to someone, especially someone as cool as Mr. Kensington, but she had, still… that didn't mean that I didn't love Misty anymore.

"Come on… let's get out of here before the ship goes under for good, okay?" I smiled at him and he sighed, dejectedly, before nodding.

"Okay, just let me get my Whale Caller." Nodding in consent, I watched him grab his toy thingy and then we were finally heading out of there.

-0-

"Thanks for saving me." Ishmael said, his sister- because she had immediately thanked me when I brought him back to the ice from the ship- nodding her head in time with his words. "But… I still don't believe that nice whale did all of this." he said and I nodded, understanding why he thought that.

"It's okay, I understand." I told him and he smiled, grateful, it seemed before his smile turned a little sad.

"Here, you might need this," he held out the toy thingy, the Whale Caller, and I took it, hesitant, half-awed and half-unsure.

"Erm… t-thanks…" I whispered, sticking the toy in my backpack before suddenly freezing when a very loud creaking, and gurgling, noise rose in the air and I whipped around, eyes wide as we all watched the ship sink a little bit further into the water. "Oh no!"

"There's no time to lose! Get back to the ship and look for more passengers!" Ishmael pushed me back in the direction of the ship and I nodded shakily, biting at my lower lip, staring fearfully at the ship, just _knowing_ that it would be filled with water now and I would actually have to swim through some of it. There wasn't getting out of it at all, but of course, the thought crossed my mind that I _could_ abandon these people, but… my heart wouldn't let me, even though my mind was screaming at me to get out of here before I got hurt, or _worse_.

But I couldn't think about that now, because I still had people to save and a stubborn captain to rescue, so I _had_ to do this. And if that meant swimming in ice cold water, soaking myself in the process, then…

…so be it.

-0-

First thing I noticed, going back to the ship, was that I wasn't able to climb it the way I had before; there weren't any railings I could get ahold of, unfortunately, nor any ice I could jump on. But I was nothing if not stubborn.

I _would_ find a way back onto that ship, so I jumped onto the donut thing, the one closest to the ice, again, spacing my jumps so I landed on the second one not too far away. Lucky me, the entrance wasn't beneath the surface yet, so, entering the ship through that door, I made my way inside, bracing myself for the destruction I would no doubt find within.

And sure enough… water was _everywhere_. It was impossible not to get wet, but I knew this had to be done.

Ignoring the alcove to the left of me, I headed down the hallway to the right, swimming through the water to the best of my ability, still not quite used to… be _older_ … surfacing a couple of times to get much needed air before finally coming to the few doors that had previously been blocked, the 'Ballroom' and the 'Galley'.

I decided to go into the ballroom first, just to see if I could do anything in there, because knowing Poptropica, I probably would need a certain item before continuing through _some_ of the tasks needed done. The water level was a bit lower than the rest of the hall, back where I entered, so I wasn't too worried right now about anything, and without much more thought, I pushed away one of the boxes, easier now that it was in the water, and finally entered the ballroom.

The second I entered the room I noticed that the entire floor was _covered_ in water, and standing on one of the chandeliers was a teenage girl about… my… _age_ , I guess. "Help! I can't swim!" she cried out and I looked around sharply, worrying slightly as I looked from her to the water and then back to her.

"O-okay, hold… hold on! I-I'll think of… of _something_ …" I finished the sentence more in a whisper, mostly to myself. The entire place, I noticed, was a bit fancy, with a sign to my right saying 'The Imperial Ballroom', with stairs leading down to a lower floor that led to the initial ballroom area.

At least the lights were working in here…

Going all the way down the stairs, to the lowest floor, I grimaced when I had to swim through the water again. Coming up to the surface on the other side, I stood atop one of the drink bars and coughed, grimacing when I felt the taste of saltwater in my mouth. "Okay, okay, I-I'll just… just… uhm…" trailing off, I looked around, biting my lower lip as I thought of what I could do before pausing, frowning when I saw cracked glass, all the way across the ballroom. "Cracked glass… room full of water… girl that can't swim hanging hanging onto the chandelier for dear life…" I muttered to myself before grinning and I looked to my feet, picking up the bottle that I was lucky didn't fall into the water yet. "Perfect. If I can somehow break the glass… _raising_ the water level, then I can reach her and help her out of here."

Nodding to myself, I was so sure of my plan, so focused on only it and getting the girl to safety, that I cared little for the water now as I dove back into the water, struggling only slightly to swim. I ignored the first floating, albeit pretty chair, and the single floating donut thing, and swam to the other side, panting heavily in the exertion.

"O-oh boy…" whimpering, I climbed up shakily on the chair here, swallowing hard as I tried desperately to keep my balance, so as not to make the chair float away or fall back into the water. Finally finding as much balance as I was gonna get, I aimed the bottle to the crack in the glass in front of me, determined to make this shot count. Finally throwing the bottle at the glass, I heard it shatter, and I let out a woop of triumph as the water started to fill the room and raise the level of the water already here.

...I probably should've gotten to steadier land before jumping in excitement, since I managed to not only lose my balance on the very _unsteady_ chair, but I fell… back into the water.

"Ack!" Surfacing, I coughed up the water swallowed in the shock of the fall before finally turning my attention to the girl, who was now clinging to the donut instead of the chandelier. "I did it!" Grinning, excited once more, I swam back over to the girl, offering her a reassuring smile that she didn't return.

I guess she was still too scared to do much of anything, so, with what little strength I had left after swimming too long already, I grabbed the string tied to the donut and started pulling her back towards the stairs.

"Hold on, w-we're almost… almost there…" I breathed out, glancing back at the girl to see her eyes closed tightly and I couldn't help but smile a little. She reminded me of myself when Alexis first taught me how to swim, when I was nine. It was scary, but… she got me through it eventually; I'm not strong enough to swim too long but I'm good enough to get this done anyway, which I was grateful for.

...oh.

The water level isn't high enough to reach the very top of the stairs.

Of _course_ not.

Sighing, I looked back at her with a frown before letting go to climb onto the nearby chair, this time steadying myself a bit easier than the last one. I picked up a stray bottle, empty of course, floating along the water near me and took aim, throwing it at the glass, relieved when I hit the mark and the room started filling up more for a second time, enough for sure to allow me to get the girl to safety.

"At least that's done…" I whispered, brushing my hands on my pants, grimacing at how _wet_ they felt, finally realizing just how soaked I was. "...great…" muttering to myself, I finally just shook my head, not caring anymore as I got back into the water, determined once more to get the girl back to safety and away from the water. "Just a little further, I _promise_ …" I told her and she could only whimper in return, as I grabbed the string again, after ducking underneath the donut and I finally pulled her to safety, the two of us reaching the dry stairs near the doors to the large room. "Now, let's get you to safety."

-0-

"Looks like I won't win the Tour Director Bureau's gold seal this year, either…" the girl had said mournfully when we finally got onto the ice, looking sadly back at the ship before she finally cracked a smile back at me, and I couldn't help but beam back at her. "Oh well. Uhm, thank you, anyway." she added and I nodded my head to her, sighing in relief, my muscles sore and aching from swimming so long and hard.

"You're welcome, honestly. I'm just glad you're safe, now." I answered, almost very nearly cut off by the terrible creaking noise again, the water bubbling and splashing all around the ice platforms now as the ship suddenly tipped onto the front, the back of the ship now topside.

"Things aren't looking good over there," the girl frowned, looking anxious and disheartened and I shook my head, tense as a log now. "You should head back to the ship right away."

"Y-you're right…" I looked down, and rubbed furiously at my left arm with my right hand, shuffling on my feet, "I'm running out of time…! I _have_ to hurry!"

Who knew what else I needed to do? And I _still_ had to get the captain out of their too, before the entire ship sank to the bottom of the sea… and this time… I had no time to get a quick cup of hot cocoa.

Running all the way back to where the ship was, I was stopped from jumping back onto the donuts to get to the entrance of the ship by the woman that first stopped to talk to me, when I arrived here. "Wait! The entrance is completely submersed! You'll _have_ to find another way in."

...crap…!

Okay, fine. I can do this. I can totally do this.

...I _have_ to do this.

Luckily there was a giant pile of ice chunks right near the ice platform and just beyond the first donut thing. So finding a way up, was turning out to be a bit of an easier task than I thought it would be. I had to be careful where I jumped and climbed, however, as some parts were more slippery than others.

Using open windows, ropes, ice chunks, and surprisingly really bouncy umbrellas, I finally made it to the very top, well, _back_ , of the ship, where a large gaping, smoking hole was placed in the broken steel. "Oh boy… okay, one… two… t-three…!"

And in I went.

-0-

If I thought it was bad before, it was even worse now. The entire area was a _disaster_ , and the hallway was a disarray of broken lights, broken doors, and debris. I had just _barely_ been able to climb down to the bottom, using the broken lights and somewhat steady pipes, leading down to the pit of water. I was incredibly glad I hadn't nosedived into the water, because who _knows_ what would have happened to me, had I done so.

I may be in Poptropica, but like _this_ … even _I'm_ not that lucky to survive a fall like that.

Spending a few minutes swimming around _pointlessly_ I finally realized that the area I needed to go in was behind a heavy box that, even in water, I couldn't budge, so, naturally, I had to find a way to either lower and raise the water level and seeing as I was in a sinking ship that was filling with water every second of every minute, I couldn't get _rid_ of any of it.

Option: Raise the water level it is.

And while I _could have_ waited for the water to rise on its own, I figured it was easier just looking for a level or cracked glass or a wheel thingy that would let me raise the level on _my_ own.

Turns out I didn't have to look very far after all, seeing as their was a broken pipe with a wheel thingy on it that I could turn, effectively raising the water level enough that the crate moved with the water, revealing the gaping vent I could finally make my way into.

...yay.

First thing I noticed upon exiting the vent… I was completely submerged in water. Second thing?

There were jellyfish _everywhere_.

I may have only been twelve, but I've watched enough Discovery Channel to know what jellyfish can do to a person.

So I had to be _very_ careful when swimming to the surface, avoiding the jellyfish surrounding me.

...third thing I noticed?

I'm back in the ballroom, only… it looks _completely_ different than when I was in here last. Everything was turned on its side and while the chairs and various bottles were still there, it was still very different to me, seeing it all like this. Even the poor chandeliers were broken and shattered, though as I made my way further up, I soon discovered that the drink bar was still nailed to the floor, perfectly unharmed.

...Poptropica logic, I freaking swear.

Going past the bar, I soon found out that the stairs were completely broken, some parts even _gone_ and behind the wall, now torn, were pipes. Some of which with levers that I probably had to mess with now.

...I'm either going to cause the ship to sink much faster or I'm going to die.

...or bust a pipe and cause large heavy objects to almost crush me.

But hey, at least I found a way out of here… I think, anyway.

-0-

The next room looked as if it was one of those boiler rooms or whatever they were and oh. Okay. Maybe I _am_ in the boiler room?

Well, er… only one way to find out.

Making it through the maze of pipes and platforms, struggling several times to reach a few of the higher ones, I finally made it to the top right corner of the boiler room, where I saw a oil-stained woman with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail trapped by steam. "Hey! Be careful!" she scolded me the second she saw me and I tried my hardest not to lose my balance when I flinched back, just a little startled. "You can't get through the steam!"

"W-what… what can I d-do?" I asked her, stuttering only slightly, my clothes thoroughly _useless_ and my bones freezing up. I'm only glad that I'm in a room that is somewhat warmer than outside, the steam helping out a _lot_ ; not to mention I'm glad my teeth aren't chattering yet… then my words would be _really_ messed up.

She nodded to the pipes and the wheels then, crossing her arms, a wrench clutched tightly in one hand. "We'll need to reduce the pressure," she answered, looking a bit annoyed by this, and I couldn't help but wonder why. "After I turn this valve-" and oh, the wheels are called valves apparently, "-get to the other side and turn the other valve before the pressure builds." she instructed and okay, _that's_ why she looks annoyed.

Because even _I_ have to admit doing this sounds a little hard.

I could only hope that I could get it right the first try, as I nodded to her, saying I understood, and when she turned the valve thingy, I immediately jumped down to follow the green pipe, unsure how much time I had before the pressure built up to the max, but determined nonetheless to get it done.

It was easy enough, I guess: down, then left, then up and then all the way left again till I hit an identical green wheel to the one she turned. I turned that and waited until she called back to me, "You did it! Now there are three other pipes. Find them and do the same thing."

Got it.

First on the list was the orange one, I figured it was closest, after all.

After a bit of scoping out, I discovered the first valve was just below the green one I turned and then the other was all the way at the bottom right corner of the boiler room.

"Excellent! Just two more to go!" she called to me and I grinned, excitement and anticipation drumming in my veins.

Now the red. The first one was right beneath the orange one and then after going around to find its twin, I found out the second red valve was at the very bottom _left_ corner. So getting that one done was a piece of cake!

...okay well, I actually had to turn the one at the bottom first, but the saying still applied.

"Yes! Just one more to go!" the woman shouted in apparent glee, her faith in my ability to turn wheels found.

And the last one was the blue pipes, where the first one was the one underneath the red valve- and I have just discovered that apparently all the pipes go in just one direction, which I hadn't known when I figured out the orange pipes because I actually _did_ start with the valve on the bottom right corner and not the one under the green valve- and the second was underneath where the woman was trapped.

Turning that valve, I followed the final pipeline, eager to finish and free the woman from her steamy prison.

"Ha ha! Thank you _so_ much!" the woman shouted, jumping up and down, free now and I grinned back at her, fist pumping the air.

Hey! Maybe now I can help out my dad whenever he has trouble with the pipes in the kitchen or the bathroom?

...ah, on second thought, probably only in my dreams. There's no way he'd let me anywhere near them again after I nearly exploded the pipes under the kitchen sink the _last_ time I tried to help him out.

Oh well.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.

Climbing back up the woman, I was eager to get her off the ship and back with the others so that I could _finally_ get the captain off of the ship too.

Unfortunately it looked like she had _other_ plans.

"What are you doing?" I asked her, frowning at her as she attempted to fix some of the pipes.

Shaking her head at me, she kept her attention on the pipes in front of her, "Thanks for getting the steam off, but if you'll excuse me, I have to fix the ship." she said, as a way to brush me off, but I wasn't about to give up _that_ easily. Even if she was crazy for wanting to stay and fix something that had no hope of ever being fixed now.

"It's too _late_ to fix the ship!" I argued with her, flailing my arms out- momentarily forgetting I left my cane back on the blimp- as I stared at her like she was an alien.

"There's still hope… I can still save the Pequod!" she snapped back at me and I groaned in frustration, refraining from whining at her to get my way.

"No! It's taken on too much water. It's _going down_! What don't you understand about that?" If she didn't leave the ship soon, I was going to end up resorting to drastic measures to drag her out of here with me, I swear…!

And finally she answered with the one thing that could possibly save her hide after all, "Only the captain can order me off this ship." she said in a matter of fact way and I had to keep myself from grinning in relief.

"That's just it! That stubborn old man wouldn't get off the ship until all of the other passengers on board, _including you_ , were safe and sound, _off of the ship_. It's by _his orders_ that I'm even _down here_ while the freaking ship is tipped over." I flailed out, whining this time, "And I _hate_ water…!"

Looking shocked at my outburst, she finally held up her hands in surrender, "Okay, okay." she sighed, running a hand through her messy ponytail. "If Captain Boomer says so…" she conceded and I slumped my shoulders in relief.

"Okay…" I replied in answer, _beyond_ relieved.

She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled at me, nodding her head, "Let's get out of here!"

"Gladly!"

-0-

When we got back to the ice platform, she thanked me again and I refrained from telling her that the captain didn't _specifically_ order _her_ off the ship, but she seemed grateful to be off it nonetheless. "Here, take this, it might come in handy," she offered in thanks, smiling as she handed me her wrench and I grinned, taking it from her before putting it in my backpack.

"Thank y-" I cringed, cut off by the sound of more creaking and I suddenly wanted to curse Poptropica logic because _really_ … why? But then I realized something very important, upon looking back at the ship. "Captain Boomer is still on the ship!"

"Hurry and get back to the ship to look for others!" she shooed me away and I didn't even spare her a second glance as I ran along the ice, not even _bothering_ to be careful, to get back to the ship.

As it turns out my previous entrance was now blocked off by a random piece of metal that just so happened to fall in the hole and seal it off from me when the ship started to sink faster than before. So now I had to find a different way in… which wasn't actually very hard, as it turns out, because there was now an even _bigger_ hole, right next to the little hole I'd used to get into the hallway from before.

I didn't even bother counting to three this time.

I just… jumped.

-0-

The boiler room was completely trashed; pipes were broken machines were piled up on top of each other, each broken and mangled with the crash. I almost wasn't sure how to get past it all.

Unfortunately, getting through it all meant getting past broken pipes letting out very hot steam occasionally. On the bright side though, at least my clothes will dry, going past them to where I was sure I was supposed to go.

Going past the first burst of steam, I climbed up the platforms, going to the top of them, pushing the pressed box of garbage off the platform so I could continue onward, following it downward before going down to the exit of the boiler room, coming into the ballroom. It took naught but a few seconds to swim to the doorway of the ballroom, exiting back into the hallways.

Coming up to the surface, I gasped for breath, spending a few minutes to catch my breath and think.

"Wha… what n-now…?" I puffed out, grimacing as I looked down into the water, hoping desperately I didn't have to swim all the way back down. I knew the bridge was down there, but surely the captain would have found somewhere safer to hide out?

Shaking my head, I looked up and sighed, grabbing one of the pipes connecting the broken lights, pulling myself up so I could climb up them to the top.

"Nowhere but up… I hope…" I whispered, slowly climbing up the lights so as not to cause the lights to fall with my new weight. Finally reaching the top light, I saw the vent I was to go into and I took the chance first second I got, climbing into it and back into the darkness. "Where… am I?" I questioned, frowning once I came out of the vent and into the new room.

And wait… is _this_ the boiler room? Because if it is, I've been getting that one room's name wrong the entire time.

...oops.

Anyway, boiler room or not, this was where my next task would be.

...on second thought, I'm not gonna make any assumptions, but uh… did boiler rooms have freezers in them?

No clue.

Entering the freezer, I immediately noted how _cold_ it was in there, colder than the rest of the ship, for sure, and I was seriously hoping my clothes would have dried by now. Focusing on my task though, I saw the boxes all stacked up against the wall and… wait, hold on, _how_ is everything facing right-side up when the ship is tilted downward in the sea?

...I'm not even gonna question Poptropica logic anymore. And well, at least the door and the 'Exit' sign was facing the right way… I think.

Anyway, beneath my feet was a box of lettuce, which I didn't think was that important to note until I saw the boxes against the wall, labeled with different pictures, a few of which were lettuce boxes. Moving the boxes, I made sure not to cause an avalanche on me, and it wasn't until I removed all the boxes marked 'Lettuce' that I started to realize that I had to move not only them, but most of the others too.

There was something behind the boxes, and when I finally moved the last of what I needed to, I discovered exactly what- or rather, _who_ \- was hidden behind them.

A man… trapped in ice.

And I had to try so hard not to laugh at the silly sight he made like that.

"O-oh!" I failed anyway, stifling my giggles behind a hand, hiding a grin of mine as the man tried to glare at me. He shouted muffled words at me and I barely was able to get ahold of myself before deciding to drag him and myself out of the freezing cold… well, _freezer_. "Hold… hold on, o-okay?" I asked him and he made another frustrated noise as I grabbed the ice and pulled him out of the freezer. "Let's get you out of here and unfreeze you somehow…" I added, mostly to myself, though, and was glad when we finally got out of the freezer and into somewhat warmer temperatures. "Now… what…?"

Looking around, mostly down, I noted several different platforms that led possibly all the way down to the bottom, where I probably needed to get the man to.

Exploring down first, I managed to figure out that I needed to fill the little alcoves with boxes and crates and when I get to the very bottom, I can officially say I've never been happier. Because there, sitting on the floor was an oven thingy that felt like _heaven_ against my frozen bones and icy skin. And if I stayed there for a few-ish minutes, well… everyone can wait because I can't save _anyone_ if I'm _frozen_.

Can I?

No.

Anyway, when I was nice and warm, my clothes relatively dry now, I made my way back up with the use of pipes and the few platforms I could reach, climbing up. I was finally ready to unthaw the that I think about it, he does look a lot like the cooking ladies at my school, it was kind of funny.

Pushing him down to the oven, I waited the several minutes it took to thaw him out and I grinned when he jumped from the oven area in relief, "Thanks! Now, let's get out of here."

...can I stay here to warm up just for a few more minutes?

...no?

...okay.

-0-

"Thanks, again. I feel so nice and warm on this iceberg!" Wait. What? No way! It was much warmer near the oven… although, I guess… he _had_ just been frozen in a big block of ice, so yeah… I can… I guess I can understand. Kind of.

"You're uh… welcome, but… I personally think the oven was warmer than this ice block." I answered with a cheeky grin.

I was expecting it this time, the loud creaking and the gurgling that interrupted the man's greatly amused laugh. And when I looked back, things were finally taking a turn for more than the worst: the ship had completely turned over, from right-side up to the bottom of the ship coming up above the sea level.

"Hurry back! The captain is still on board!" The man told me, obviously worried, and I knew then that the captain was the only one left on board.

"Ugh! Stupid… stubborn… old… man!" I groaned, running my fingers through my hair, before running back towards the ship.

I'll get that old man off the ship even if it's the last thing I'll do…

...I just hope it isn't.

The entrance, as it turned out, was literally right there at the ice platform, so getting in was the easy part. The hard part was getting through the ice cold water that _filled_ the ship from top to bottom to find the captain.

Back in the boiler room- because I know it is the boiler room now, so I'd been right this whole time- I had to navigate through the pipes and the platforms, avoiding the garbage clutters and the broken machines in my way, to get to the next area.

...I never expected the sharks.

When I saw the first shark, I nearly _choked_ on the water surrounding me, kicking back in the water, panicked, and hoping _desperately_ the shark didn't see me in return. Backing off a few feet, though I could barely breath, I found that I was torn between going back up for air or pushing onward.

I went back up, trying to figure out my next plan of action.

Going back down, I found out there were two sharks in total here, so I swam as fast as I could, staying as far away from them as possible, and I couldn't have been happier when I found the path to the next area.

In the ballroom there were jellyfish and harsh currents everywhere, and I could _barely_ get through it all, to the next area. Finally reaching the vent at the top- technically _bottom_ of the ship- after what felt like _hours_ , I went through it, just about _done_ with all this water.

Back in the hallway now, I didn't even _bother_ to go down the right hallway, towards the alcove, and swam through the mess of crates, garbage, and broken lights towards the other vent on the far left side of the hallway. Going inside the vent, I came out on the other side into what I now figured was the kitchens, now _completely_ sick of the water.

I was also _really_ sick of all the sea creatures, because now instead of jellyfish or freaking _sharks_ there are squid things with shells melded of forks and knives sticking out of a pan thing.

I was feeling sick, I really, _really,_ was. And I barely made it past all the squids.

I need to breath, and all the bubbles are barely holding me over.

In the next area there were giant crabs that I avoided, okay enough, and avoiding the sparking- seriously… Poptropica _where_ is your _logic_ …?- cords was a bit more difficult but I managed, until I finally found the captain. And what I found… was a mess of a guilty man and I knew then that Ishmael was right, that the _whale_ didn't do this. No man looks that guilty like this, deep under the water in a capsized ship.

We were too deep now though, to reach the surface, going back through the ship, the way I came, but maybe we didn't have to.

Getting an idea, I got into my backpack and grabbed out the toy that Ishmael gave me, trying to turn the dial, but unable to with my bare hands. Handing the toy to the captain, who took it without a sound made, I grabbed the wrench and turned the dial that way, moving the arrow to the picture of the white whale, hoping with _all_ hope that this worked like I thought it would.

Suddenly, with the dial pointed towards the right whale picture, a sharp high pitched noise rang out and I nearly dropped the toy, barely having enough time to put it and the wrench back in the backpack before the ship suddenly jolted as the whale rammed into it, and when the large glass windows broke, the water just started gushing out, dragging both the captain and I with it.

Next thing I knew was darkness.

-0-

When I came to, both the captain and I were on the ice, the whale gone, and we were surrounded by the others that I'd rescued. "Good, that's good, breathe kid, breathe." The old man said when I rolled over, coughing loud and hard to expel what water I'd swallowed on the journey. "Thanks." he finally added, smiling at me and I offered a shaky smile back, "I owe you my life. You risked yours to save mine and I'm forever in your debt." he then sighed and sat back, looking out at the sea, where the whale probably disappeared to. "I guess that whale wasn't so bad after all. I was blinded in my hunt to see that, and because of that, I got us all into this mess. I rammed an iceberg chasing after him and well… you know the rest, it seems. That was a pretty smart move back there, kid, with that device and I couldn't be prouder, I'll admit." Pulling me up, he pat me on the shoulder and flashed a grin before pulling back.

"If you had just told me the truth in the first place, everything would have been easier," I told him and he nodded his head in agreement.

"I know, and I'm sorry. Here," he started, reaching around his neck to pull off a necklace with a gold medallion- the Island _Medallion_ \- "why don't you take my Captain's Medallion. You've earned it this day."

I did it. I actually _really_ did it.

And I couldn't be happier about it.

I was ready to be rid of all this open water, that was for sure.

"Thank you so much!"

After returning the jacket to the curly blonde haired woman, and saying my goodbye's to them all, I climbed back into my blimp, donning my apparel, just in time to hear helicopters whirring in the background, coming towards all the shipwrecked passengers.

"Good luck and thank you!" I called down to them, waving back to them before finally setting off, wishing them a new beginning from all of this.

I wish I could say I was expecting the blackness this time, but I wasn't.

-0-

"You've done the forbidden, little Noel…" the man hissed at me when I turned to see him, both of us surrounded by the empty blackness and I frowned in return, not knowing what he was talking about.

"I don't understand." I told him and he scowled, pointing at me, at my _chest_ and it was then that I realized I could _see_ the amulet now and I tried then to take it off, making it a distressed noise when that did nothing. "No! I didn't _mean_ to! You have to take it back! I can't be like this!"

"It's already too _late_ boy. The damage has been done, because you _messed_ with one of the forbidden Amulet's of Avalon!"

"I'm _sorry…!_ Please! Please, you have to tell me how to fix this!" I pleaded, on my knees now and he stepped back, looking at me with pity.

"The only way to reverse the change of this stone is to find the other four amulets. _Never_ put any of them on. Their power is far too great for a mortal like you to handle, but together, when you have them all…" he trailed off then and turned away after, shaking his head and he glared at me. "Don't forget the reason you're here, or the consequences will be worse than this. And remember, collect _all_ of the medallions… or you won't be able to go home."

When the darkness disappeared, along with the amulet and the man, I was alone in my blimp, set on the course for the unknown.

I had no idea where to head next, but I hoped that wherever it was, I could handle the pressure of my next task.

Save Poptropica, collect the medallions, _and_ find the other four Amulet's of Avalon…

...how hard could it be?


	3. PoptropiCon - Episode One

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** An island full of everything a fan has ever dreamed of- of action and costumes- Noel finds himself at a Poptropican version of a Comicon and has to go through tough and annoying trials and find a way inside the building that holds the action every fan wants a piece of. But how far will he go to get inside?

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

* * *

 **PoptropiCon**

-0-

 **~Episode One~**

I wasn't sure what I was expecting for the next island I'd come across, after finding out everything I had after saving the people from the Pequod, but having spent a week flying above the sea, the island I found wasn't it.

Poptropicon was loud and vibrant, full of colors, and I was excited.

I'd never been to a Comicon back home, even though I thought they always looked fun, so being here now, well… I was ready to have a bit of fun.

Climbing down from my blimp, I spared a few minutes to look at everything- from the posters to the costumes to the beautiful building in front of me- a wide grin on my face. Turning my attention to a woman- next to a yellow and purple tent and in front of a zombie poster- wearing a vibrant and fun blue and yellow outfit with a fluffy feather on her hat and a earphone thing. "Welcome to Poptropicon!"

"Thank you! Wow… I can't wait to explore inside," I was practically bouncing in excitement at the possibility. "There are so many awesome costumes!"

"Yes," she chuckled and nodded her head, "know that you'll be changing costumes quite a lot here in Poptropicon, so I'll need to let you know now that you'll have to find a nice safe spot for your current outfit so you don't lose it."

"...oh, uhm…" I frowned and looked down at my magician's outfit, disappointed. "Okay, I can… put some of my accessories in my backpack." Pulling my backpack off my shoulders, I set it down and took off my hat, folding it in, my bowtie, and my cape, putting all three in a separate pouch in the bag before tying my cane to the front of the pack. "There. And I can put my jacket, shirt, pants, and shoes in the bag when I change, so…"

"Alright!" she laughed as I pulled my backpack back on and I beamed back at her in answer, geared up and more than ready. "Well, go on then and have fun!"

"Thank you!" Waving back to her, I pressed on, barely able to contain my enthusiasm as I tried my hardest not to run. Going past the first entrance, the one marked with a sign that told me to use the other entrance, I found a line of people all dressed up in several different costumes- a Viking, an Aviator, an alien, a princess, an explorer, and a… magician?- that all looked as eager as I felt.

The line started at the other entrance and I frowned when I saw that to gain entry, I needed to have a ticket.

"Darn!" I groaned before shaking my head and I decided not to worry about that for now, and instead talked to the man dressed as a Viking. "Excuse me, Mr. Viking?"

"Oh! You here for the trailer too? Well, you're gonna have to get in line for that, we've all been waiting here since this morning!" his voice was loud and excited and I couldn't help but grin at him before the confusion set in.

"Trailer?" I asked, before looking behind me and I finally took note of the giant posters taped onto the front of the building for the Mighty Action Force trailer, whatever that was. "Oh! It kinda looks fun."

"Definitely!" he agreed when I turned to look back at him.

"So uhm, these tickets… you wouldn't happen to have an extra one for me would you? The ticket booth looks sold out and I don't know where else to get one, even if I can…" I tried, shifting from foot to foot, nervous of his answer.

"Nay. It's been sold out for months. Sorry about your luck, kid." he said, looking apologetic and I frowned, but nodded.

"Thanks anyway, I'll just… see if these other guys have one." Waving to him when he answered with a hearty 'Good luck,' I moved on down the line. Unfortunately, the Aviator guy was giving me a dirty look, so I decided to move on to the alien. "Excuse me, do you have an extra-"

"Scram, Earthling…" the guy hissed at me and I flinched back, rubbing nervously at my arm before moving on.

"O-okay, okay… uhm… Your Highness?" I tried again, this time with the girl dressed as a princess, hoping I'd have better luck if I added on an honorific, addressing her.

"Yes?" she giggled at me and I smiled nervously at her in return.

"Do you have an extra ticket I could have?" I asked and she frowned, tilting her head at me.

"Yes, but I'm holding onto this one for a friend of mine, but I have no idea where he is." she sighed, looking a tiny bit aggravated and I bit my lower lip, toeing at the ground.

As bad as it was, already a plan was forming in my head… "What… does he look like?"

She snorted then and looked up, "He's dressed as a wizard. You really can't miss him: pointed dark hat, robe with a moon amulet, white beard, wooden staff." Finishing with a shrug, I nodded my head slowly before she added, "Here's a selfie we took earlier." She took out her phone and showed me the picture of her and a man wearing a dark wizard outfit and I giggled at the stupid little grin he had on his face before nodding again and waving to her, telling her good luck with finding her friend.

I didn't bother asking the other two for extra tickets- though I did note the staff that the girl was carrying- deciding that I had more important things to do.

I had a wizard to find!

I never even noticed the strange little Phoenix bird that had landed on a bench not too far away, as I made my way all the way back towards the bus, leading to the parking lot.

-0-

First thing I noticed was the large costume crafting station called the 'Ye Olde Forge of Finery' with paper, paint cans, glue, and putty and glitter in jars. In front of the crafting station was a girl, with very fluffy black hair, dressed as an old Viking blacksmith, with a large grin on her face. "Hey you!" she shouted to me, waving her fake axe around. "If you want to make your own costume parts, this is the place to do it!" she gestured to her station and I grinned, nodding in thanks. However, this was a place to explore later, when I knew what I wanted to make.

On top of the 'Olde' booth, I saw something glittering and, deciding it was worth a shot to check out, I climbed up the sturdy side of the booth and went over to what looked like a clock. Taking it up, I decided to keep it for later, putting it in my backpack before climbing back down.

Continuing down the path, I went past a thing with two posters on it, one of the Mighty Action Force and the other of… the Hobo?

Wait… wasn't that a poster I saw back on Back Lot Island…? So… five years didn't pass then? Was I… still in the safe zone here?

Or was there actually more to these amulets than meets the eye?

Dragging my gaze from the poster, a frown on my face, I decided not to pay attention to that now and focused my attention instead to the next booth, seeing a guy and a girl with purple masks that looked _out of this world_ … heh. The booth was called the 'Space Jaunt' with a large red spaceship on top of it and the guy was at the stand that said 'Learn to Speak Fremulon!' whatever that language was. Behind their booth was a giant version of what their costume was, a giant purple alien with dark red dressing and matching hair, with a giant red glowing axe.

Turning my attention to the ones running the booth, I frowned at their unfriendly faces and, deciding to avoid the man behind the booth, I talked to the woman, "I like your booth, it looks really fun," I offered a slightly sheepish smile and she cracked a smirk at that. "Uhm well, can I learn to speak Fremulon?"

"Anyone can as long as they've got the zazzleblax for it." she nodded her head and I frowned in confusion.

"What's a… zazzle...blax?" I asked and she rolled her eyes, grabbing a little pamphlet off the counter behind her before handing it to me.

"You'd know if you spoke Fremulon! Study up."

"Oh, okay thank you!" Looking down at the pamphlet, I still didn't know what a zazzleblax was, but at least I knew how to speak a few phrases now if I really wanted to. "This will probably come in handy." I added with a chuckle, waving bye to both her and the man before continuing onward, towards the food court now, after putting the pamphlet in the backpack.

Pepe's Pizza Puffs was a giant pizza dressed truck with a weird looking girl in front of it, wearing a pizza costume.

...she didn't look too happy with her job.

The food court attached to it had a single dude sitting at one of the tables- he was wearing a robe that looked very similar to the princess' wizard friend- enjoying some of the pizza puffs.

Going past another sign with a poster of a 'Pony Whisperer', I headed towards the restroom areas, deciding to explore a bit further in case I needed to go here later on, so I would at least know where to head.

...unfortunately, I can't get any further without being accused of cutting the line, so I went back, towards the Convention Center, past the parking lot.

Feeling parched, though, I went up to the small balcony above the lot and picked up some bottles of soda from a machine that a man dressed as a wizard with a grey beard- though he wasn't the wizard I was trying to find- was pushing, complaining about the machine stealing his money.

Above it all, on top of the building was a woman wearing a witch costume- the hat on her head looked similar to the one in the picture- giggling to herself. When I tried calling her down to talk, she put her finger to her lips in a 'shush' motion and that was that. Deciding to leave her alone, I moved on.

It was time to go back and explore the other side of the island.

Going behind the Convention Center, I saw a guy, looking no older than a teenager, dressed in a job uniform and I frowned, confused. "May I… go in this way?"

"Sorry man, VIP's only."

"Oh… okay." Shaking my head, I looked around, wondering what I could do, before deciding I could figure that out along the way. First thing I did was look at the Lost and Found, figuring that there may as well be something useful to me in here. Only thing I found was a backpack, a very old one, by the looks of it. The straps to the pack came off the second I tried moving the thing to the side and, hesitating a moment, because why not?, I took the straps and put them in my own backpack for later use.

Continuing onward, I paused when I saw an orange haired man standing guard in front of a large wooden catapult that looked… kind of dangerous.

"That catapult looks dangerous…" I said, voicing my thoughts and the man sighed, turning to look at the wooden machine.

"Yeah, it sure is cool. Wait, did you say dangerous? Yes, dangerous," the man said and I bit my bottom lip to try and contain a little laugh at the guy.

"Where did it come from?" I asked and he nodded to the poster beside us, the one that had Thor on it that said something about Bucky Lucas, whoever that was, playing him.

"Those people dressed as Norsemen out there. They lovingly crafted it. It looks like it would really work!" he sounded like he was going to _faint_ , fangirling about this thing.

"You sound," I giggled, " _wistful_ …"

"Well, yeah, I mean… I'd like to go to the Con, but… nah. This is all silly stuff. Kids' stuff."

"No it's not…" I said, frowning. "I saw lot's of older people dressed up for this thing, you can go to." I told him and he cracked a smile, before shaking his head.

"Thanks, but nah. You go on and have fun," he answered and I sighed before nodding in defeat.

"Okay," I said and finally decided to go back to the front, moving onto the next task. In a small hidden basket behind the lost and found bin, that I didn't even notice until when I went back to go back to the center, I found the perfect wizard outfit that matched exactly what I needed for this task.

Putting the hat, the beard and the robe on, I clutched the staff tightly in my hands before grinning wide, twirling around and letting out a little laugh. "Perfect!"

-0-

Now walking towards the princess, I was feeling a little less than confident, but I hoped anyway that I could pull this off. "Here I am!" I spoke up, startling here, and I tried to keep my voice a little low and deep so as not to give my act away, but I wasn't so sure I was pulling it off. "I'll take my ticket now."

"You're _finally_ back from the bathroom." And oh, so she _knew_ where he was, she was just waiting. Okay. "Okay, where is it?"

"Uhm… where is what?" I asked, confused and grimaced, wondering if my cover was blown already.

"You know the deal," she said with a frown, "I give you a ticket and you give _me_ what you promised."

"Oh, of… of course! I'll er… be right back then…" I finished in a small mutter, backing away slowly, frowning to myself. "What now? What is it she wants?"

Wait, didn't she say she guy went to the bathrooms? So maybe _he_ has whatever it is she wants?

Well, only one way to find out.

Back to the restrooms it is!

...I can only hope the line went down enough so I can go.

-0-

Oh no…

The guy she's friends with is in the line.

What do I do?!

"Okay, okay, k-keep calm…"

Acting fast, I put away the hat, beard, and the staff into my backpack before gathering enough courage to talk to the man and now that I thought about it, he looked a little distressed.

"Hey, are… are you alright?" I asked him, frowning in worry and he turned to me, frowning.

"I… y-yes, no… I'm not. I… I was holding something for a friend of mine and I _had_ it when I went into the bathrooms, but then… I-I must've left it in there!"

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's… it's okay. I'm just going to go home, the line is so long it's not even worth it." he sighed and shook his head before offering a weak smile and he waved bye before leaving.

I felt bad for the guy, but at least this meant there would be no mix-ups, which meant I could get what the princess wanted, grab the ticket, and then go inside when it was time. It was a rusty plan, but it would work... it _had_ to work.

He was still right anyway, the line… was pretty long and even I didn't want to wait that long for something I didn't even know anything about. "Hm… excuse me? Would you mind trading me spots?" I asked and the girl turned around, looking at me like I was an alien.

"Are you kidding me?" she huffed out before frowning and she sighed, "You know what? I'm wracking my brain to remember who played Thor in that old Viking movie. Remind me, and I'll trade my spot."

"O-oh! Uhm… B-Bucky… I think… Bucky Lucas plays him." I told her, remembering the poster in the back of the Convention Center that was near the catapult.

"That's it! I was thinking of Kirk Strayer for some reason. Thanks." she told me and I smiled, nodding my head in return, watching as she moved behind me and I sighed to myself.

One down…

"Don't bother asking me, I heard you're looking to head up in the line," the next lady said and I smiled sheepishly. Fortunately, "If you can find out what time the cosplay contest is, I'll give you my spot."

Remembering the poster on the balcony of the Convention Center, I told her, confidently, "The contest starts at noon."

"Thanks!" she grinned and moved behind me, so I could ask the next person.

That's two down.

"Excuse me, I'm in a hurry, so can I cut past you?" I asked the man dressed like a green tin can and he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Only the one who wields the Power Amulet can displace me!" he said, his voice loud and clear and I grimaced.

"The… power… what?" Shaking my head, I cleared my throat, "Where is the Power Amulet?" I asked and he snorted.

"The Cheetah Bandit has it, of course!" he answered, like it was a fact everyone knew.

"Oh… okay. I'll be back then." I said with a weary sigh before leaving to go find it, hoping my place would hold. Turns out, the Cheetah Bandit was standing right on top of the bus at the Convention Center, so that was easy. Getting the amulet however… will not be. "Excuse me, can I have the uh… Power Amulet?"

"The Power Amulet cannot be given. It can only be earned. Beat me to the top of the water tower and it shall be yours!" she challenged and I'm not gonna lie, this isn't what I expected.

But nonetheless… "You're on!"

-0-

When we got to the tower, I was feeling just a little scared, unsure if I could win or not. But really I shouldn't have been that worried, not really. Climbing up the pipe on the left side of the building helped a lot in winning against her.

"How could I have lost?" she frowned, looking perplexed, when she met me at the top of the water tower and I grinned, pleased with the turnout. "Alright, fine, a deal is a deal after all. The amulet is yours." she added before handing over a necklace with a bottle cap on it and I couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

But she's right, a deal is a deal.

-0-

"You are truly powerful!" the tinman said when I had returned, the amulet around my neck, and I grinned at him. "I cede my spot." he said, moving behind me and I mentally jumped for joy.

That is three down, and I'm almost halfway through the line, I think.

Now onto the man in the costume with a moon on his head, and no _wonder_ people had to wait so long, seeing as there was only one bathroom available at the moment.

"Excuse me, could I possibly trade your place in line?" I asked him and he turned to face me, an eyebrow raised, looking absolutely ridiculous.

"Sure, if you could trade me the Fremulon mask from the booth, I'll give up my spot."

...darn.

Back to the Fremulon booth I go, but this time I decided to look through the pamphlet I got from before, _just_ in case.

"Erm… hi, can I get the mask there?" I asked and the man growled at me, actually _growled_ and if that didn't scare the crap out of me, I don't know _what_ will.

"You want this mask?" he asked and I nodded, shakily, "Let's see if you can carry on a basic conversation in our language! Scrash sumbellugh?" he spoke the foreign words and I cringed a little, wracking my brain to get it right, knowing I _probably_ couldn't get out the pamphlet to cheat.

"U-uhm… s-scrum… bellaz-zugh!" I answered back, a little less confident than I wanted, but I was sure I got the words right either way.

He still looked unimpressed, and spoke something else, "Crozzy sup bemblex?"

"Bemblex… zup… a-amfrozan…" I said, scrunching my nose up, realizing that he was just going down what was in the pamphlet. The conversation didn't even match up!

"Hmph, groffzellux scrumble blurge?"

"Will you… okay, uhm…" shaking my head I looked up as I sounded the words out in answer, "Blurge scrashble bellazagur." At least I got that one without stuttering or spacing the words out. And hey, I got him to stop scowling at me!

"I admit… I am impressed! You are a true Fremulon. You have earned this." he said, handing me the mask that had been behind the girl beside him and I grinned back at him.

If only I could say 'Thanks,' in Fremulon, but I'll just settle for English. "Thank you!"

Returning to the guy in the moon hat, I presented to him the mask and he grinned, taking it off my hands before moving to the space behind me, "May your zazzleblax be abundant," and okay, so I _still_ don't know what that means, but at this point, I don't think it matters too much now. Besides, it didn't look like he'd give me an answer if I asked anyway.

Onto the next, and final, thank the gods, person, I walked up behind a lady with blue hair that looked like she could be an engineer of some sort. "Excuse me, any uh…" I squeaked when she turned towards me, gaining her attention, but pressed on, "any chance I can move ahead of you?" I asked her and she frowned at me, eyes narrowed but then she smirked, and crossed her arms.

"Sure," she said and I immediately brightened up, only to deflate when she continued and added, " _if_ you can replace my busted jetpack, you can steam right past me."

"H-how do I do _that_ …?"

"Take these instructions, and don't come back without a new pack." she told me, handing me a piece of paper with scribbles on it before pushing me back towards the area of the parking lot. And unfortunately, despite her pushiness, I went off to do as she said.

Maybe now that crafts booth would come in handy?

-0-

Coming to a stop at the booth, I got out the paper the lady gave me and finally realized something: the watch parts, the backpack straps, _and_ the bottles of soda I picked up could _actually_ come in handy right here! Now I just needed some glue and some spray thingy, but I think those were already at the station.

First things first, to make the… _Ström Ryggsäck_ … I got to attach the straps to the bottles with glue and then attach the watch parts to the bottles with more glue. After, I spray the watch parts with what _looked_ like paint and then it should be ready.

...I just wasn't sure it would actually… _fly_ …

...but she'll be happy with it, anyway, right? ...right.

After getting the jetpack finished, I put it in my backpack for safe keeping and then headed back to the restrooms.

-0-

"Here is the jetpack!" I grinned as I presented to her the soda disaster, which… kind of _did_ resemble a jetpack with the paint on it, though I had _no_ idea how I managed that. Still, she seemed quite happy with it, anyway.

"To the sky!" she shouted, laughing as she pulled her goggles down to her face after putting on the jetpack and I grimaced. She wasn't actually going to take off, was she?

…she just… she just _flew_ away.

And left me standing here, staring after her with my mouth hanging open and okay, so I _had_ to of seen that coming, but I really, _really_ hadn't.

I'm not even going to say it this time.

Shaking my head to rid myself of the very confusing thoughts, I decided none of this mattered now anyway because now I could _finally_ get into the bathrooms and retrieve whatever the princess wanted so I could grab the ticket and finally move on!

Heading into the bathroom, I opened the door and the guy that had been all the way at the end of the line before that told me off for trying to go past and 'cut' in front of him jumped from the door, making me jump, but again, I _really_ should have seen that coming. "Hey, how did _you_ get in the front of the line?" he asked in an accusing manner and I frowned at him, crossing my arms as I huffed.

" _I_ could ask _you_ the same thing!" I snapped back and he snorted, looking at me weirdly.

"Well, whatever," he snickered then, "enjoy yourself in there. I kept it _nice_ and _warm_ for you." he said and walked away, laughing while I looked back at him in disgust.

...ew.

Because of that comment, I couldn't have gone in there and out fast enough, going in and grabbing the only thing out of place, a hammer, before scrambling back out.

"Ugh! Well… glad _that's_ over with…" I finally said with a sigh before smiling, looking down at the hammer, and then outright grinning when I realized it was not just a hammer, it was _Mjölnir_!

And didn't _that_ just brighten up my day?

I _loved_ Thor, I really did, but having my own replica of his hammer had always been something I'd wanted since I saw the movie. True though that I didn't love Thor nearly as much as I loved Ironman or Captain America, the two greatest _legends_ of the Marvel series!

Anyway, time to go give the hammer back to the princess, assuming this was even what she wanted in the first place.

This time, walking back to the parking lot, leading back to the center, I didn't fail to notice the strange little firebird perched on one of the benches that I past going back to the princess. And I definitely didn't fail to notice how it _followed_ me all the way back, and it had me on edge the whole time.

It didn't really do anything, at least, not until I got back to the center and then suddenly it _attacked_ me! Stealing the hammer from my hands and I _squealed_ and shouted, angry and shocked at the same time, trying to grab after it, but I failed.

I didn't know where it was leading me, but soon enough, it was barreling past a set of doors and I was following after it… and then… well… _then_ … I got the shock of my life.

The area was… like _space_. I was suddenly nowhere _near_ Poptropicon and I wasn't _standing_ on anything, but at the same time, it felt like I was on solid ground. And then I was having a panic attack because I had realized there was _no door anywhere_ leading out of there.

Then there was a hand covering my eyes, but I didn't do anything, hyperventilating as I was, and a… _comforting_ voice in my ear that sounded distant, but… _there_ all the same. "Shh, it's alright… focus on my voice… just _breathe_." the voice, the _guy_ said and I tried to do so, I really did, but this was all overwhelming, and then a hand was on wrist and it was kind of soothing, to say the least. "Good, _good_ … now picture somewhere peaceful. Somewhere you want to be, somewhere you feel _safe_." he instructed and I swallowed hard, doing just that, and the first thing that came into my mind was the old clearing in the forest behind the old park that my sister and I would always go to. The one that had an old tree house we fixed up ourselves with the guiding tips of our dad, though he had no idea why we wanted to know how to fix a treehouse in the first place. But he had caught on eventually, because he'd had that knowing smirk on his face whenever he caught us talking about it or asking something that had to do with it.

When I had calmed down enough, he took his hand off my face, not before I realized that he was wearing gloves, strangely enough, and I blinked my eyes open slowly, widening them when I found out what had happened.

We were suddenly standing in the middle of that old clearing and it brought tears to my eyes that I couldn't blink away, no matter how hard I tried. "...what…?"

"This is your special place then?" the guy chuckled, and before I could whip around and stare at him, demanding to know what the heck was going on, he walked in front of me and I could only stare. He was tall, with messy dark brown hair and kind, but sharp features and he was nice looking. His clothes looked like something a supervillain would wear, with a red, dark red, and black base; he wore gloves, a strange mask, light silver armor on his shoulders, chest, and waist- attached to the armor around his waist was a bundle of medals, ones I recognized as Island Medallions- and his shirt and pants were of dark fiery colors, with black markings on them. His boots had metal soles and were black and red, matching the rest of his outfit.

His voice was smooth, and nice… but it was his eyes, when he finally turned back towards me after running his gloved hands over the smooth bark of the old treehouse, that I noticed moreover than the rest of him. They were kind, and soft, and were filled with a sort of wisdom and experience my grandparents had in their own eyes. And they were a very pretty sort of green that reminded me of spring and the warmth and beauty it brought with it.

"This was… the treehouse you and your sister built a few years ago, isn't it?" he suddenly asked, bringing me from my thoughts and I froze up, clutching my hands tight into little balls.

"H-how do… you… you _know_ that…?" I choked out, unsure I wanted to know the answer to that. And before he can even answer me, though I _did_ notice his expression suddenly turn dark, I snapped at him, taking a sharp step back, "W-who even _are_ you!? What do you _want_ with me!? I-I-I'm not… n-not… er…" grimacing, I realized I had no idea what I would do if he posed a real threat to me, but I knew that all I wanted was answers and maybe… maybe he had some to give?

"I… _know_ you must be feeling… _confused_ and _frightened_ right now… and I _assure_ you, I'll answer any questions you have to the _best_ of my ability." he said, slow as he thought about his words and how to say them. "For now, though, all I can say is that I've been… _watching_ you and I admit, I was a little worried about why Xanthous chose _you_ of all people, but… I can see why now."

Frowning, I shifted uneasily on my feet, "I-I don't understand… w-what are you _talking_ about…? What do you mean you've been _watching_ me? Have you… have you been s-stalking me?" Creeped out by the thought, I tried looking around, to find an escape and wondered if the woods would help me, or if suddenly I'd just find myself back in space.

Alarmed, he shook his head and sighed, looking slightly worried now, "No! no, of course not! Okay, look, I'm not the best at this, but I promise I'll try my best to help you out. My name is… well, on _Earth_ , I suppose… it's Darren Williams. It was the name I was given after… well, no, never mind that." he shook his head again, expression dimming a little before it suddenly brightened and he offered a small smile to me, "Here though, I'm known to the Poptropican's as Fierce Fire."

Giggling a little, the tension bled from me a little and I couldn't help it, "That sure explains the outfit you have," I told him and he suddenly looked down before laughing a little as well.

"Yeah, I guess it does." he said, looking back up then and he took careful steps towards me. "I'm sorry to have caused you any concern or fear…" he added then and I swallowed again, looking down.

I didn't know what to say in return, this was still all so new to me, but I did know one thing: "You said… you would answer any questions I had…" I said and he nodded immediately, straightening up.

"Of course. Anything."

"You mentioned Earth. Does that mean you're from there too?" I asked, bright with hope but also with slight fear. If he's from Earth too, does that mean there are others trapped here on Poptropica too? Part of me hopes there aren't… but the other, more selfish part of me, hopes there are so that maybe I'm not so entirely alone.

"I… yes…?" he frowned slightly, grimacing before nodding slowly. "Xanthous… told me I was, long ago, at least, until he brought me here."

"Xanthous?" I asked in confusion, remembering he mentioned that name minutes previous. "Who is that? And what did you mean when you said that he… he _chose_ me…?"

"Right, right, sorry…" Darren sighed and looked up, scratching lightly at his head as he tried to answer my questions. "Xanthous is… well… he's not really a _person_ per-say… he's a… er… I'm _really_ not sure how to answer that one. But nevermind that. Xanthous knows things. Everything about Poptropica and everything about everyone in Poptropica. He even knows everything there is that no one else knows about, every hidden code and hidden script that not even the creators know is there, in the game."

"But… but what does this have to do with me?" I asked and he frowned again, looking back at me with another dim expression.

"There's a war coming…" he said sadly and I gawked at him, taking a sharp step back in my surprise and fear.

"W-what…!?"

A _war_. A freaking _war_ …! And I was going to be cast right in the middle of it? No… no, it's… it's not _true_ … He's lying!

"There's a virus. And it's infecting Poptropica's codes and if nothing is done, and _soon_ … well… then Poptropica and everything inside will be done for. But the virus won't stop there, I'm afraid… because once Poptropica is destroyed, that virus will start infecting every other living code outside of the game and more." he explained, looking dark, fists clenched, and I shook my head.

"N-no… b-but… what does this… h-have to do with m-me…?" I squeaked out and he smiled then, but it fell flat, not reaching his eyes at all.

"Every game needs a hero. You… just happen to be said hero." he said and I flailed my arms, panicking then.

"B-but I'm _not_ a hero! I-I'm _twelve_ for Loki's sake! I can't even help my mom with dinner without mixing up salt or sugar and I can't help Dad when he's fiddling with his stupid truck! I can't ask the boy in my school out because I'm too much of a coward and Alexis still has to stay with me at night when it's storming! I-I'm not… n-not even…" I choked on my words here and suddenly he was hugging me, albeit awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay…" he whispered, sighing as he deflated, and I couldn't help but cry, letting out all of my emotions since being stuck here. Since finding out I had to save Poptropica… since finding out I was stuck here and on my own and away from home and my family. I didn't even care that his armor was biting into my skin under the robe I was still wearing, uncomfortable as that was. "I'm sorry. I know… and I'm sorry. Maybe this _is_ too much for you… being a kid and all… but Xanthous chose you for a _reason_ …" he added and I made a small noise in answer before he continued on. "Know this though, Noel-" how did he know my name…? "-you're not alone in this. Don't ever forget that."

Sniffling and wiping at my tears, I pull away and smile shakily at him, though before I could get in a word, I heard a squawk from behind me and all of a sudden, he's got a little firebird on his head and I would giggle at the fact that he looks ridiculous now if it weren't for the fact that the bird has Mjölnir in its beak! "Hey! That's _my_ hammer!" I shouted, jumping back all of a sudden, angry now.

"Akaeli!" Darren snapped, looking miffed as well and the bird made a muffled noise, tilting its head down and to the side as it looked at Darren, seemingly confused at his anger. "That wasn't very nice, taking Noel's hammer from him." It made another noise and he sighed then, "Yes, I _know_ I needed to talk to him, but that still doesn't mean that you could have done that. Now, give me the hammer and apologize." he said and it made a frustrated noise, dropping the hammer into his hands before glaring at me, refusing to make a peep and I scowled back, sticking my tongue out.

"That roasted _chicken_ is _yours_?" I asked him, scrunching my nose up before snickering when the firebird squawked angrily at being called a chicken.

Darren frowned at me, upset and a little amused at the same time, before nodding with a tiny smile, "Yes, Akaeli is mine. I found her, years ago, abandoned and hurt on Astro Knights Island. I nursed her to health and she and I have been inseparable since." he chuckled, reaching up to pet the top of her head and she purred, making me giggle back at her.

"Her bark seems worse than her bite…" I said and she huffed back at me, angered once more, but she turned her head away then before suddenly flying off.

Laughing, he only nodded before holding out his hand, handing me the hammer back, "Yeah… look, I'm sorry she took Mjölnir from you, to get your attention. And I'm sorry about all of this in general, I only hope…" he trailed off then and looked down and away, pulling his hand back after I took the hammer back and put it in my backpack where it was safe and sound for now.

"It's okay," I told him, smiling and he smiled back, this time the smile reaching his eyes and I couldn't help but turn my smile into a grin, pleased with that. "Thanks for the warning, anyway," I said before pausing and then adding, "I'm glad it was you I met here and not someone else."

His only answer was another smile before he suddenly disappeared and then so did the clearing.

-0-

Finding myself back at the center, I decided to stop wasting time and finally put on the rest of the wizard outfit before going back over to the princess, smiling at her as I presented her the hammer. "I found what you were looking for!"

"Ah yes! You surely deserve my extra ticket now!" she grinned before suddenly frowning. "Where… did you find it?" And then I grimaced, offering a slightly nervous and mostly sheepish smile.

"...the outdoor toilet…" I told her, dreading her response and I was right to be afraid because the second I said that, her expression twisted into a disgusted one.

"Gross! Deal's off…!" she said and I gawked at her, eyes wide, because there was no way I was going to let her back off now, not after everything I had to do to get past the line _leading_ to the restrooms!

"W-w-what!? No!" I cried out, before realizing that she wasn't going to back off on her decision now.

...now I need to find another way inside, and this just wasn't my day…

Remembering, though, the back entrance, I wondered if maybe there was a possible way I could get inside there, before deciding that it was worth a shot. I realized though, that I was only going to be able to get in one way, and that meant I needed another costume change.

Goodbye wizard and hello Viking!

-0-

Finding all of the costume parts was relatively easy, though I did have half a mind to ask where the other people got their own costumes- the dude in the front of the line to the center, the girl in front of the costume booth, and the two girls in the line to the restrooms- and changed into it right away, before finally heading to the back of the Convention Center, to talk to the man beside the catapult and hopefully finally be able to get inside.

Looking at the poster now though, I realized that I kind of looked exactly like Thor, especially with Mjölnir in my hands and I giggled to myself with glee at that thought. If only though, I could have a costume for Captain America or Ironman… or even Hawkeye! I adore Clint; Alexis does too, I know because I hear her and her friends talking about how cute he is or how amazing he is. It's kind of funny how she has a celeb crush on him…

...right. Back to the task at hand.

Clearing my throat, I tried to make it sound deep enough so I could pull off what I wanted, but I wasn't so sure how that was going to work out, "Excuse me, I have come bearing an important message." I said and all of a sudden the man just fell over, looking dizzy and I almost laughed at that. He almost _fainted_ … because of _me_ …! And I'm _dressed_ as _Thor_! As my sister would say, this guy has got it _so_ bad…!

"O-oh my… The Norse God of Thunder! Is it really you?" he questioned and I nearly giggled again, unable to help it, really.

"Of _course_ it's me! I am wielding Mjölnir, am I not?" I told him, and held up the sacred hammer for him to see and he frowned, skeptical.

I was almost a little worried for a second… almost.

"Looks… like a replica I saw earlier, but… never mind that now." he said with a suddenly bright smile, looking giddy and I grinned back, happy as can be that this was actually working. "How may I serve you, O powerful Thor?" he asked and I paused, for once thinking out my words before I said them and suddenly getting a bright idea that actually tied into what I wanted and would give _him_ what he wanted, well… I wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste.

"I need you to leave your post so you can go and enjoy the Con." I told him, adjusting my tone so it sounded scolding and he suddenly beamed, looking as bright as a thousand stars. And I couldn't believe that _I_ did that… _I_ made him that happy…

"Yes!" he shouted, shaking his head and trembling with excitement, "Yes! It's _all_ I ever wanted! Thank you Thor! Oh thank you!"

When he was gone, I couldn't help but smile to myself, warmth filling me up. Because maybe… just maybe Darren was right. Maybe I _can_ be a hero.

No. I _know_ I'll be the hero Poptropica needs.

I turned my head when a glint of gold caught my gaze and I suddenly grinned, seeing my token to getting into the building.

The catapult.

Climbing onto it, I pulled the basket down until it hooked and then, before I could pull the level and launch myself inside, I found the first Island Medallion of I don't know how many and snatched it up.

Finally, I was getting somewhere.

"For glory!" I shouted, suddenly _very_ excited.

And then I hit the level, bracing myself for impact when the catapult launched me straight into a window.

...probably not the smartest move I have _ever_ made.

But it was worth it...

...it _had_ to be worth it.


	4. PoptropiCon - Episode Two

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** Noel's inside the convention and it's everything he expected and _more_. Now though, he has to find a way to gather information on a costume of the ultimate super villain that apparently no one knows _anything_ about to win a costume contest! Will he win?

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

 **A/N 2:** Apologies for taking so long on Episode 2~ Hopefully Episode 3 won't be as prolonged, nyeh?

* * *

 **PoptropiCon**

-0-

 **~Episode Two~**

Crashing through the window, I braced myself for impact, not expecting to land on a stage. "...ow…!" I groaned, rubbing at my head, barely noting that my helmet had fallen off with the fall through the window. Picking it up, I stood up and stretched out before finally realizing there was someone here with me. "Um…" I started, dumbly, if I'm honest, staring at the guy dressed in a lion/circus ringmaster costume, glasses on his face and a microphone held in his hands.

"My! Dramatic entrance, but…" he frowned then, the grin wiping off his face as he observed where I was standing before looking up at the broken window and then back down at me, "your timing is… off, I'm afraid. The contest doesn't start for a little while." he said and I frowned in confusion.

"What… contest?" I asked him and he chuckled, not looking offended by the question in the least, though I could clearly see a bit of confusion because of my previous 'dramatic entrance' into the building. But in my defence, I had no idea where I would end up… so there's that.

"Ha! Whoever comes up with the best Omegon costume will win a Walk-On role in the Mighty Action Force sequel." he told me, handing me a little flyer that said pretty much what he just did and I grinned back at him.

"That actually sounds kind of fun!" I answered and nodded my head before waving to him as I headed off the stage. And if that was the moment I noticed the large sign above the stage that said 'Costume Contest' well… no one has to know, right?

Only problem is… I have no idea what an Omegon costume is… and as I talked to the people around the stage, it seemed like neither did anyone else.

Taking off my Viking costume, I traded everything out for my original magician's costume and decided to finally start exploring. If I was to win the costume contest, after all, I would need to know what I was getting myself into and what to expect when getting ready.

Strangely enough, the first thing I found was a card, hidden under the box on the platform leading up to the balcony above the stage. I had no idea what this was going to be for, but I was sure to find out later on; of course though, it made sense given that the lady dressed like a weird little fairy said something about the card games at the convention being the best things there.

So, costume contest and card games… what could possibly go wrong?

-0-

First place I went was the Expo Floor, and almost immediately I was called upon by a man dressed in a flower shirt with insanely poofy orange hair and wide yellow glasses, next to a table that had tech on it and posters behind the table that said 'Spies Wanted' and 'Wicked Cool News'. "Hey kid, come over here for a second. I want to talk to you about an amazing opportunity!" he said and grinned wide as he continued. "Wicked Cool News relies on spies to get us inside information… But we know almost nothing about the Mighty Action Force movie!"

He sounded really distressed about that, so that led me to ask the only question available at the moment, "So… what do you need, then?" I asked and he huffed at the question, crossing his arms and tapping his foot lightly against the ground.

"We _need_ to be the first site to post what Omegon looks like before the trailer premiers. That information _has_ to be scattered around here somewhere." he answered and I brightened up almost immediately. Because this was my chance to finally learn something about Omegon so I could win the contest!

It's perfect! "Can I be a spy?"

"Definitely. Here's a phone." he said, handing me a cell phone, "Get photos of Omegon and I'll help you put together an amazing costume!"

"Awesome! Thank you!" I said, grinning wide at the opportunity.

Back to exploring it is then, and now to add this new task to the list. Get pictures of Omegon if possible. And knowing Poptropica, it won't be a problem.

Making my way past the 'Wicked Cool News' table, I soon came to a booth where an old man was standing, with a poster of him was hanging up above the table with the words, 'Meet Stan Ditko, Creator of Elf Archer'. And I'm ashamed to admit it took me at least a minute to figure out that this old man was based from the man of legends, Stan Lee… and that his 'Elf Archer' was a play on Hawkeye.

But what the heck did Ditko mean?

"Hi there!" I grinned, waving to him and he smirked, chuckling as he nodded his head back at me.

"Hello there, and what might your name be, little magician?" Stan questioned and I couldn't help but perk up a little when he indulged my talking to him.

"I'm uhm…" I paused for a moment, wondering if I should give him my real name or the name I chose for Poptropica, "L-Lightning… er… Light, I mean…" I mumbled, blushing a little now and he laughed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Light," he told me and nodded his head as I grinned again, "so tell me, what can I do for a young hero like you?"

Blushing at being called a hero, I bit my lip before looking at the cardboard poster of him and the 'Eld Archer' and wondered for a moment… the Elf Archer was part of the Mighty Action Force, right? And… Omegon was in the movie, so… does that mean he knows something that can help me? "U-uhm, well, actually, I was wondering… if… well, I-I mean… do you have any idea where I can find out what Omegon looks like in the Mighty Action Force movie?" I asked him, a little hesitant and he frowned, sighing a little to himself.

"I see, and I suppose you're with that other young spirit that was just trying to sell me on Behind-the-Scenes shots of Omegon." he said and I frowned back at him.

"What do you mean? Who else was looking for Omegon?" I asked and he chuckled, a barely there smile on his face, though I could tell he was a bit annoyed, if not fond too.

"Sasha Capone- the Webmaster of Wicked Cool News' biggest rival, Totally Rad News." he answered with a roll of his eyes at the names and I couldn't help the little laugh that escape me at hearing his tone and the words that came from him.

"O-oh, uhm," quieting my laughter, I added, "can I ask what she looks like?"

"Yes, of course. She has… blonde hair that's in a ponytail, glasses, and I remember a red leather jacket that she wore." he said and I smiled.

"Thank you!"

"No problem, and hey, tell you what Light, you can have a copy of my Elf Archer, Issue #1 signed free if you want." he offered and I bit my lower lip, giddy at the opportunity. It may not have been Hawkeye or the real Stan Lee, but if I'm honest, this is about as close as I'm _ever_ going to get, so I wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. Nodding my head, I eagerly accepted a signed copy of the comic and he chuckled, patting me on the shoulder after, "Take care kid, and good luck."

"Thank you!" I told him, again, putting the comic in my backpack before continuing on my way to find Sasha.

Making my way up to the second floor, I came upon a figurine table with an old lady dressed in a lot of green standing in front of it. And past her, I saw a comic stand with the Pizza Puff girl standing in front of it, and she finally looked happy, if only just a little bit.

Going back down to the first floor, I decided to head out into the hallway, ignoring the door to the Exhibit Hall for now, and went through, continuing my search and exploration.

So far I've noted the Theater, the Expo Floor, the Atrium back in the Theater room, a Demo Area, the Exhibit Hall, and a hallway leading to more. Though I've only been through the Theater room, the Expo Floor, and now the hallway.

Entering the hallway though, I noticed right away that Sasha Capone was making her way through, into another doorway. "H-hey! Wait, S-Sasha! I need to talk to you!" I tripped over my words, ignoring, for the moment, the other people in the hallway as I followed after her and through the first door of the three located in the hall.

Going through that one, I came upon another set of doors, following her again, groaning my frustrations as I nearly crashed through the third door at the end of the second hallway.

And again the third among three, before following, _again_ , after her through the second door.

At that point… I admit that I had lost sight of her. So I went through the first door I could, to see if maybe I could spot after her. It took a few tries, going through door after door, but eventually I had gotten through to another area and had found her, standing in front of a zombie statue for something called 'Zombie Revolution'… "W-why did it have to be a zombie of all things…?" I whined, shaking my head as I realized my silly little fear of zombies- although completely rational- was a bit irrelevant here and now at the convention. Walking up to her, I decided to get her attention, "Excuse me, uhm… S-Sasha…?" I questioned and she turned towards me, eyes a little wide before they narrowed, looking me up and down.

"Yeah? Who's asking?" she huffed, crossing her arms and I frowned.

Technically I was… but that must not be what she had meant. "I… uhm, heard that you had a picture of… of Omegon…?"

"You heard right, Kemosabe. What will you give me for it, eh?" she smirked then, tilting her head to the side a little, looking just a tiny bit smug. I never liked people like that, but… I had to get that picture one way or another. If she even _had_ it anyway; Dad and Alexis always taught me that people lie, sometimes, to get what they want.

"Maybe I can find something to buy it from you?" I questioned in return, frowning slightly in hope and a little in frustration. Money was something I didn't have and knowing Poptropica, _wouldn't_ have unless it served a purpose for the quest or current task.

She snorted then and rolled her eyes, "Right, well, when you get a _real_ offer, call me. Here's my card." she said, handing me a cream colored card with her information on it.

"...thanks." I muttered, sticking the card in a small pouch in my backpack before suddenly watching her run off down the room, towards a door that had a guy standing in front of a table with phones in a bin. She handed over her phone, putting it into the bin, before disappearing into the room and my eyes lit up as I realized something; now that she doesn't have her phone, I can snoop through it to get the picture I needed!

I knew that I wouldn't be able to pick out her phone among the others though, so I decided to try calling her first to see if that would work. Just my luck that I don't have signal though, standing where I am, however, I realized that the second floor here was a tech zone!

Climbing up to the second floor, I first noted a guy hanging from the ceiling with a pinata costume and ignored him, giggling to myself about the fact that he was actually taking his costume a bit _too_ seriously. Moving on and past a person with a weird alien cat costume, I found the same old wizard guy from outside pushing at the soda machine in here and I laughed outright.

"Doesn't this guy know when to give up?" Letting my laughter devolve into giggles, I walked over to the machine and pushed a silver button, smiling when something fell into the opening, only to frown when I saw it wasn't soda.

"That's not my soda!" the man complained and I smiled again then, picking up the object and noting that it was another card. Wishing the man luck with his soda machine, I finally turned back towards the stairs and grinned as I got out the phone I was given and the card number, dialing the number on the card so I could tell which phone was Sasha's and finally snag that picture.

Climbing back down the stairs when I heard her phone ring, I went over to the bin, snatched her phone, and sent my own the picture.

I only got the first part of what I needed, but it was a step further to a mission accomplished, so I was actually feeling pretty great.

Going back through the halls, I found myself going towards the Exhibit Hall, going through the doors and finding myself in a place with a giant blown up super hero over my head. "Looks like we're just missing… the Elf Archer? Yeah?" A dark skinned girl asked, when I entered the room and I turned my head over to see her and a man stalking.

He sighed and shook his head, "'Silver Age' Elf Archer," he said, frowning to himself as he looked around, "the plan's around here somewhere."

She sighed then too and groaned, "This is worst than the Dentists' Convention… Let's go look for it." she said in a mumble that even _I_ barely heard before the two headed off through a door to the side of the room.

Frowning to myself, I wondered briefly if maybe I could pull this off somehow. If I could get my hands on a… 'Silver Age' Elf Archer costume then maybe I can continue further in my search for the perfect Omegon costume.

So that's what I was going to do next. Making my way back to the Expo Floor, I went back and towards the Demo Area, where I had heard, also, that they were giving out free starter decks for the card game I'm finding myself a bit too curious about.

-0-

The Demo Hall had a bit of a mellow atmosphere, with light blue and dark red coloring, which made it feel kind of homey. The first thing I noticed after that was the card booth for the Mighty Action Force and the girl- with dark brown hair and an outfit that matched the booth- standing in front of it with a card in her hands.

"Hi?" I waved shyly at her, offering a smile when she smiled back at me. "Do you run this booth?"

Nodding, she chuckled and raised the hand holding the card, flicking it up before catching it, "I do! Would you like to try your hand at the Mighty Action Force trading card game?"

"Yeah!" I grinned at her, eager to try it out. I'm not very good at card games, but that doesn't mean I'll ever stop playing them.

"Great! Here's your new starter pack!" she said, taking a deck from off the table behind her, handing it to me. "Allow me to teach you how to play." She led me over to the table and set out a board, gesturing to the spot across from her and I grinned, taking it. "To win you need to collect exactly thirteen gems! Shouldn't be too hard." she said with a smile and set out a card on her side of the board, a Meow-bot card.

Picking out cards for my own hand, I looked down at them and decided to put a card called Mutton Chops onto the board. When she told me to either attack or collect gems, I paused because I generally didn't have any idea what collecting gems meant, so I attacked instead, sending the Mutton Chops card after her Meow-bot.

That was… probably the worst mistake I could've made. Realizing she didn't even have a card to attack only too late, I received no gems, the card was a bust, and she herself got two gems.

"Oops…" I smiled sheepishly and she grinned in answer.

"Don't worry, all newbies make that mistake at some point during the game." she said and I have to admit that didn't actually make me feel any better.

When the next turn came around, she placed a card called Trash Collector in the attack slot that let her place another card, a Teen Arachnid card, on the gem slot. And knowing what to do now, I decided to try and get back at her for not letting me know the first turn what to do.

I decided to put a Meow-bot of my own into the attack slot to attack the Trash Collector. And then maybe the next turn I would be able to catch up gem wise. Another thing I realized a little too late: my cards don't attack hers but her gem bar. On the plus side, she lost the two gems she had already, before gaining one from the card in her gem slot.

But the third time is always the charm, right?

Picking a new card for myself, she placed a Dirt Claude on her side, in the gem slot and I chose to do the same, placing a Hench-bot in the gem slot instead of a Meow-bot since her card said something about blocking my own actions if the card was of equal or lesser value. Either way though my turn was shot to pieces and wouldn't count. At least I'd still have my Meow-bot cards, for another turn, though.

Blocked from my turn, and with zero gems, I really needed to try and step up my game. Except… she just played a Fashion Ninja, which, according to the card, was going to skip my next turn. "...this really isn't fair, you know…?" I mumbled with a pout and she only snickered in answer as I set down a Teen Arachnid of my own in my gem slot.

Hopefully it would still steal one of her gems, if not anything else.

She played a Pony Girl next turn, and she now has five gems to my own two.

But I haven't lost yet…!

Putting down a World guy card in the attack slot, I decided that I would take away four of what she has, dragging her down to only the three she would have after her Meow-bot gives her two more gems. And though that would only put her one gem above me, it would still give me some time to catch up.

In the next turn, she played a Hench-bot in the gem slot and I put down my own Pony Girl in my gem slot. That should bring us both to four gems each, and I only had four cards left after this turn, which worried me because wasn't the goal to win thirteen gems in total?

She played another Hench-bot in the gem slot her next turn and in answer, I put down another Mutton Chops, doing the same. I wasn't about to attack her again, even though that would put her a couple gems behind me.

Now having seven gems to her five, she put down a Hench-bot in the attack slot and I geared up with another Meow-bot in the gem slot, hoping to still get ahead while I could before the official end of the game.

With eight gems and only two cards left, I realized that she didn't have any at all! Grinning to myself, I laid down another Meow-bot, saving my last Hench-bot for the very last turn.

With eleven gems to her own five, I won the game!

"Awesome!" I exclaimed and she huffed, but smiled in return.

"Nice job, for a beginner," she teased before handing me another card for my deck. "It was a great game, I'll admit. That card should help strengthen your deck though, to help you win later battles. Go ahead and re-organise your deck and fit the card in, you'll see how much it helps later on." she said, grinning at me after all was said and done and I thanked her, nodding my head in return. "Remember to update your deck whenever you get new cards, and good luck!"

"Thanks!"

Moving on, I couldn't help but grin, elated from my recent win, and decided to go up to the second floor, finding another card tacked to the bulletin board. "Another one for the taking!" I said, to absolutely no one at all.

"Oh, a card huh? You play?" I turned my head to see a dark skinned girl sitting at a table, a smirk on her face. Nodding my head slowly, not sure what to think, she snickered and sat back, looking a tiny bit smug. "Play me? I'll even make things a bit interesting. Beat my deck and you can have my unreleased Omegon card." she added and I perked up almost immediately.

"Deal!" I told her, walking over and sitting at the table. This could be my chance to get another piece of the Omegon costume I needed, after all!

"You're gonna regret this, kid. I've never lost a match, and I don't intend to start now!" she boasted, setting up the board and then the game started.

She started off heavy with an Elf Archer in her gem slot, so I decided to play out my Pony Girl card, drawing an extra card from my deck for the next turn, landing me two gems to the four she got for the first turn.

In the next turn, I knew that the battle wasn't in my favor since she played both a Trash Collector and a Fashion Ninja, causing me to lose one gem and skip my next turn. I got her back though with Mutton Chops on the attack slot, destroying three of her own gems before she gained one back from her Fashion Ninja card.

"Lucky shot," she huffed, tilting her head up. "Game isn't over yet though. You're turn is still skipped!"

"...yeah, I know…" I murmured, grimacing when she destroyed one of my gems, gaining three back for herself, having five altogether now.

In the next turn, she played a Teen Arachnid card in her gem slot and I decided to play World Guy in my own, coming to a total of four gems to her seven. This was turning out to be a tough battle, one I wasn't so sure I would win.

She played a Mutton Chops in her gem slot then, and I decided to put down my own teen Arachnid in mine, allowing me to build up my four to a six, though she was steadily gaining up to thirteen with her only being four gems under the amount to win.

But I _needed_ that card.

So I was in it to win it.

When she put down a Dirt Claude in her gem slot, I couldn't help but sigh in relief, seeing I had a card that was one gem over the amount needed to block my turn. Placing down the Mutton Chops, I quickly decided that I wanted to take away three of her gems, though she'd get two of them back at the end of the turn. It was still a semi-win for me, bumping her down at least one gem this round.

"Give it up squirt, you're not about to win on my watch!" she huffed out, placing a Meow-bot onto her gem slot when it was her turn again and I glanced down at my cards, sticking my tongue out at her in retaliation.

"We'll see about that," I said in return, putting down a Dirt Claude of my own in my gem slot, hoping it would prevent her from getting gems this turn. I had no idea if it worked that way, though, but I was about to find out.

"Urg! Drat! That card was useless anyway!" she growled out, when it turned out that the card did in fact work how I had hoped and we were finally matched gem for gem, eight to eight.

Grinning in triumph, I placed down a World Guy card in my gem slot when she put down a Pony Girl in hers, bumping me up to _twelve_ gems to her own ten. And I knew then that I _had_ to win, because I was only _one_ gem behind now. She smirked at me then and I frowned at her, not understanding why, until she spoke up.

"I'm lulling you into a false sense of security kid, I wouldn't get your hopes up just yet," she said and I couldn't help but laugh outright at that because she had only put down a measly Hench-bot in her attack slot and I knew then that I had won, because even though that would take one gem from me, I had a two gem card, which would bring me to a perfect thirteen.

"Too bad for you…" I started to say, instead, smirking back at her as I laid down a Meow-bot in my gem slot, "I win~" I finished in a slight sing-song voice, delighting in her wide-eyed look as I took my rightful title as winner of the battle.

"What!? No! I-I can't believe I lost!" she groaned then and sighed, taking off her hat, "Well, I guess that's it. You won fair and square. Here you go kid…" she grumbled, muttering then something about having to return to some job now.

But I didn't bother questioning her because she's right, I _had_ won fair and square and that meant one thing and one thing only: I was one piece closer to getting the perfect Omegon costume.

Taking a picture of the card with my phone, I put the card in my deck and the phone back into my backpack, before finally getting back to the task at hand. And as luck would have it, the costume I was searching for was in a box at the end of the hallway and I quickly changed into the Elf Archer costume to play the next part needed.

"Perfect!" I said, grinning to myself before finally making my way back to the Exhibit Hall.

In the hall I managed to find another card before suddenly hearing footsteps and I did the only thing I could do at the time, I panicked and climbed onto a cart, standing as still as statue. Which may not have been the _smartest_ idea as of yet, but as soon as I heard the two from before talking about having found the Elf Archer statue.

And wasn't _that_ a relief?

When they pushed the cart into the next room, I let myself be pushed onto the ground and when they finally left, I couldn't help but collapse in relief, letting out all the air I had in my lungs before suddenly letting out a fit of giggling laughter, giddy on adrenaline. "That was close!" I grinned to myself, sitting up and fixing the costume, looking at the bow in my hands. "They didn't even suspect a thing!" Finally quieting my laughter, I calmed down enough to realize that this was my opportunity to find Omegon's mask. "Finally…"

Snooping around, I found several exhibits of superheroes and villains alike and I couldn't help but gaze at them all in awe. There was even a poster of a robot boy that was a play on Astro boy and that actually made me giggle a little.

Making my way to the second floor, I found a case of masks and grinned, noting the very last one, marked 'New' and decided that was the mask I was looking for. "I did it…" I said, taking a picture of the mask with my phone. "I actually did it! Now I just have to go back to the Wicked Cool News guy and I'll finally have my costume!"

-0-

Having switched back to my magician outfit, I met up with the guy in front of the Wicked Cool News booth, to finally hand him the pictures I'd gathered. "Got it!" I told him, handing him my phone, barely able to contain the excitement I was feeling. Because the truth is, I'd never entered any kind of contest, especially not a costume contest, so this was going to be super fun!

"What a scoop!" he exclaimed, looking at the pictures on the phone with a grin. "This is going up right away! ...with a spoiler alert, obviously." he added with a slight sheepish chuckle before suddenly brightening up. "Ah, of course! Don't worry, I didn't forget about our deal." he told me and held up a finger, grinning again, "Give me a second and I'll whip up a prize-winning costume for you!"

-0-

When he had returned, he handed me a costume that looked exactly like the items in the pictures I took and I laughed in excitement, twirling around before thanking the man and I took off, going to a place- the yellow tent of course- to change into the Omegon costume. "This is… incredible!" I shouted, my voice slightly muffled from the helmet, but that only made things so much more fun for me.

Finally ready for the contest, I made my way to the theater.

"Gentle Lightning is _so_ ready for the fun to begin!"

-0-

"Welcome to the Poptropicon Costume Contest!" the man dressed as a lion/circus ringmaster shouted to the crowd, me and my fellow Omegon cosplayers off to the side and I grinned eagerly as he spoke. "Today's winner will win a Walk-On role in the next Mighty Action Force movie!" He turned then and pointed to us off-stage and I shared a look with my fellow contestants, all three of us grinning at the events to come. "Let's hear it for Contestant #1!" he called out and I pushed the first person up onto the stage when he hesitated only to cringe when me and the other Omegon cosplayer heard boo-ing.

"Oh boy…" I whispered to myself, hearing the announcer on stage speak up.

"Terrible! Just… terrible." he said in a disappointed voice before adding, "Next up is Contestant #2!" he called out and she hesitated as well before walking on stage confidently, but her confidence was faltered when she tripped and I felt terrible when people _laughed_ at her. At least her costume matched somewhat, it was fair for them to laugh at her! "Well, that's unfortunate," the announcer huffed, crossing his arms, "Alright, let's get this over with. Contestant #3?" And I too hesitated because he sounded _very_ disappointed and bored and what if my own costume wasn't up to par?

"Okay, okay… come on Noel… you've got this…" I swallowed hard, gearing up to walk onto the stage and I did.

I passed my fellow contestants and offered a meek smile, hidden under my helmet and I was so nervous, I was _shaking_. But that all changed when I heard gasps and claps from the crowd, and even the announcer seemed impressed! "Hey, that's actually pretty good! I can't believe it!" he said and laughed, clapping his own hands together. "No reason to prolong this, then. The winner of the costume contest is…-" he started to say and all three of us were on the edge of our proverbial seats, and I thought for _sure_ I was going to win, as much as I felt bad for the other two though… until suddenly there were bright flashes and then a dark light and rumbling.

Oh no…

Out of the sky came a Hench-bot and… Omegon!

The Hench-bot pushed the other two contestants out of the way and the crowd was filled with murmurs and uneasy whispers, and I couldn't help but take a step back from him when Omegon landed directly in front of me, a floating pyramid just above our heads.

"Amazing!" the announcer said and I turned to him sharply, eyes wide in disbelief, because _what!?_ "A surprise contestant! And what a costume! I don't even see any seams." he gestured to Omegon and the man glowered at the announcer.

"Bow to Omegon!" he roared out, gauntlets clenched as the whole room shook again and I had to fight to keep my balance in the now heavy costume.

The announcer laughed, _laughed_ , and continued on, looking to the crowd and then back to Omegon, "Terrific! Well, I don't need to see anymore. We have a winner!"

 _No!_ That's not a contestant!

I wanted to shout at him, because doesn't he see…?

 _That's Omegon!_

"I have come to destroy the Mighty Action Force!" And clearly the real Omegon wasn't having his stupidity either and I backed away another step as his voice shook the stage once more, knocking me off my feet this time and I stared fearfully up at him.

Is this what Darren was talking about?

Omegon _can't_ exist… can he?

Is this… part of the virus?

"No need to milk it." the announcer snorted and tilted his head to the side, "Let's get you your prize. You sir, should unmask." he added and I trembled at the visible anger coming from Omegon.

"Idiot…" I hissed to myself, not risking my voice above a whisper inside the helmet as Omegon spoke up.

"Fool! I wear no mask!" he shouted, glowing green now and the room shook once more.

"No mask?" the announcer gasped and finally he seemed to understand… "No mask!" Lucky me I was already on the floor… because nothing could have prepared me for what happened next, as Omegon shot a green beam at the announcer and the crowd in front of him.

This can't be _real_ …

"Ahhh!"

Frozen in fear, I could only register the screams that filled the room, even as I noted a tiny glint of gold near my feet, that Omegon had seemed to drop.

Omegon was real and it was then that I realized that I was the only one that could defeat him.

Because Darren was right.

I had to be a hero, Poptropica's hero.

And it was time for me to step up my game and do what I was brought here for.

It was time for me to be the hero I was meant to be.

...Omegon. You're going _down_ …!


	5. PoptropiCon - Episode Three

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** Omegon has taken over everything and it's up to Noel to retrieve the Mighty Action Force's weapons, defeat Omegon, and save all of humankind... but can he do it?

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

* * *

 **PoptropiCon**

-0-

 **~Episode Three~**

I had no idea that I had even passed out until I had woken up in a storage room, "Oh, good! We thought you'd never wake up!" Groaning in answer, I looked up to see the lady from the costume tent standing next to the bed I was laying in.

"...what happened?" I asked, sitting up in the bed, grimacing when I realized that my Omegon costume was ruined and my helmet was gone. I decided to take the costume off I listened to her explain what Omegon had done. Last I remember, Omegon was threatening everyone in the theater… and then nothing.

"Omegon has taken over the convention." she answered, frowning, "This basement room is all that's left of the resistance."

"...this really is a nightmare…" I mumbled to myself, the confidence I felt before dwindling to almost nothing.

"Sadly, this is all too real," she answered, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Get your bearings and then come talk to me when you're ready…"

She moved over to talk to another survivor and I was left on my own, a frown on my face and a headache the size of an anchor. And after gathering my thoughts, I decided to explore the room, noting all of the survivors of Omegon's reign.

Grabbing an energy drink, I cracked it open and downed half of it in no time at all, before grabbing another one and putting it in my backpack…

...only to realize everything I owned before, aside from the accessories to my magician's outfit, was gone.

Groaning, I decided to grab another starter deck from the girl that had ran the card booth, accepting when she asked for a game, even though my mind was on other things at the moment. My heart wasn't in the game either, but before I knew it, I had won and she had given me a new card in return.

Gathering a few more cards, after exploring around and playing a few more games, I decided it was finally time to talk to the costume lady. "Please… tell me you have a plan…?" I asked her, walking over to her, fiddling with my jacket.

She smiled and nodded her head, "Yes, I do," she answered, before continuing, as I felt a flare of hope build inside me. "If we gather the Mighty Action Force Weapons, we might have a fighting chance to defeat Omegon." she explained and I frowned in confusion.

"Weapons? What do you mean?"

"The Mighty Action Force's weapons. There are three that you will need to gather: Elf Archer's bow, Goldface's Electron Pulse, and World Guy's shield." she told me and I cracked a grin at the words. I knew immediately what she was talking about, because of the Avengers. I've already established that Elf Archer was like Hawkeye, and getting his… er, _her_ … bow shouldn't be too hard to do. Then Goldface is obviously Ironman, the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, Tony Stark and his Electron Pulse was obviously supposed to be a play off of Tony's Arc Reactor, or... maybe just one of his suit's pulse cannons. Okay yeah, that was probably it. And then finally, World Guy was a play off of Captain America, the golden boy, Steve Rogers and his shield was just that, Steve's shield.

Immediately on board with the plan, I nodded my head at her, but I realized one problem to this whole thing, "In a place full of replicas from costumes, how will I recognise which are the real weapons?" I asked, frowning now, hoping she had an answer for me.

"My Second-In-Command will give you a comic page that should help," she said and I was only more confused by this, because how would a comic book page help me out? But then again… it's Poptropica, enough said.

"Okay," I told her, before directing my attention to the guy who I now recognise was the one that I met outside the restrooms outside the Convention Center.

"This is just like the 'Reign of Omegon' Arc from Issues 172-178!" he told me, a look of mixed distress and awe on his face and I frowned at him, narrowing my eyes before sighing and I deflated.

"How did the Mighty Action Force defeat Omegon?"

"Duh," he answered with a scoff, "they summoned Alphaon." he finished as if that was obvious and I grimaced, because in this world, I suppose it was. But I was dealing with forces that were beyond what my twelve year old mind could comprehend and this only just made it that tiny bit worse.

"Of course," I whispered to myself, running my hand through my hair and messing it up, "so what are we supposed to do?"

"Don't you understand anything?" he looked annoyed now, and I frowned at him again, before suddenly understanding as he handed me the comic book, showing me the pages. "It's all right here!"

Looking through the comic book, I suddenly grinned and nodded my thanks to the guy, wishing him and the others luck as I finally decided to get out of there. Because now that the costume contest was over, I had two of what was likely to be three Island Medallions, and now I had a new task to complete.

It was time to find the Avengers- oops, I mean the Mighty Action Force's weapons and defeat Omegon!

-0-

The first place I went to was the Theater, taking the vent closest to the right wall, and I couldn't hide the wince or the hiss that escaped me when I saw the ruin and destruction the area was in. The second thing I noticed was that they had someone locked up here, someone I didn't recognize given I could only hear their voice, "Just do one Con appearance, they said. We'll give you a 10k per diem, they said," the guy growled and I let a wry smile come to my face.

At least someone still has hope in the crisis that has happened while I was unconscious.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out of here as soon as I can find a way up there," I told the guy, confidence bleeding from my voice even as it quivered with my own light fear of the situation.

But, not about to let my doubts consume me, I started to find a way through the chaos. And, exploring around, I discovered pink laser beams located everywhere, destroying the ground and concrete it shot at and a strange pyramid object attached to the ground, under near a ledge where a green laser wall was, preventing me from going past that on the platform.

Unfortunately, the other, what I now believed was platforms, didn't work either and I had no way to activate either of them, so I had to go back.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I said, hoping to reassure the man that he'll be rescued as soon as I can get something to activate the platforms to get up there and save him.

-0-

Heading back to the basement, I went then into the Exhibit Hall, deciding to start there instead. It was just as destroyed as the Theater was, if not more so, but at least I was sure I knew what to expect. This time I would be able to save whoever was in the room, I was sure of it.

"I-is someone there? Oh please! You gotta help me get out of here!" Startled, I nearly jumped out of my skin, before backing up and looking at the platform above my head, eyes widening when I saw a lady, the Elf Archer, in a cage of purple lasers.

"Miss. Archer! Hold on!" I shouted up to her, careful not to stumble over my own feet as I looked up. I'm probably the most clumsiest graceful person ever… which is weird to say. Climbing up the large yellow bot cylinders, I jumped down the other side, stumbling back with a yelp when a laser almost fried me like a chicken. "W-why lasers?" I groaned, shaking my head before perking up when I saw the laser disappear and I grinned. "Great! I'm not stuck!"

Before I could move through, the laser came back on and I frowned, deciding to wait a minute to see the pattern of the lasers. Ducking through the laser, I climbed up to the second floor from another few cylinders. Ducking under another laser, I came upon the giant green superhero balloon, seeing how destroyed and deflated it was.

Jumping down, I discovered World Guy's shield, a laser beam blasting off of its surface and in another direction. Getting to it quickly, I barely had enough time to react, raising the shield in my defence and I let out a choked noise, similar to a dying moose, not expecting the beam to do what it did. Realizing the beam was no longer hitting the shield, I lowered it cautiously, only to discover that the beam had destroyed its power source and I grinned, thoroughly pleased with this discovery.

Now knowing how to shut off the beams, I climbed more yellow bot cylinders and got to work destroying the next beam… not realizing that there was a beam behind me shooting at my back. Crying out, I dropped down to the ground, the shield falling from my hands only to redirect the next beam up to the thing that powered them, destroying them both.

"N-note to self… don't get h-hit… by… the lasers…" I panted out, groaning as I stayed there for a few minutes, catching my breath.

"Are… are you okay?" Miss. Archer called out and I grimaced, remembering I wasn't alone and that she was still trapped in a laser cage.

"Y-yeah…" I puffed out in answer, getting up and I grabbed the shield, ready to move on now. Destroying the third and final laser controller thingy, I finally climbed my way up to Miss. Archer's cage, ready to get her out of it and down to the basement. "Are you okay?" I returned the question with a bit of a breathless smile, pressing the big red button without a thought to it, despite every movie ever in the world that says that pressing big red buttons is a big no-no.

"I'm fine now!" Miss. Archer grinned, throwing her hands up in the air, careful of her bow, and I smiled more confidently, "You're the star of the show, kid. Thank you! Come on, let's head back to HQ." she finished and I could only blink in confusion at the use of the world, taking a second to realize she was talking about the basement, before nodding and offering a grin back in return.

-0-

Back at the basement now, I offered Miss. Archer a smile, "Are you sure you're okay now, Miss. Archer?" I asked her and she nodded, sighing.

"Yeah, of course, thank you." she frowned then and looked down at her bow, "I tried to explain to them that I never even shot an arrow in the movie. That was all my stunt double," she added and I tilted my head before understanding what she meant as she handed me the bow. "I think you'd have better luck with this replica than I ever did. And good luck, okay?"

"Thank you Miss. Archer." I said, accepting the bow with gratitude, attaching it to my backpack. "I'll return shortly with the others." Waving back to her, I then headed off to the Expo Floor, through the vents again, before I immediately ducked down with a gasp once I saw Hench-bots on the floor below the vent shaft, doing something to both the guy dressed as a pinata and the wizard that was always trying to beat up machines that stole his drinks. "Oh no…"

"Pinata-Man will never surrender to tyrants!"

"Initiate Transmutation Process." I heard the bot say, indifferent to what the man dressed as a pinata was saying, or rather yelling, to them. And then the other bot pressed a switch and suddenly the whole machine became enveloped in a bright white light that had me covering my eyes as best as I could so I wasn't blinded. And when the light was gone, Pinata-Man was no longer and in his place stood a Hench-bot and to say I was horrified was an understatement… "Import the next willing subject."

I couldn't even giggle, when the wizard went inside the machine, looking _happy_ , all because he had finally gotten his drink. But when the machine was clicked on, it started to shake, rather than do what it did before and I could see the fear in the man's eyes. "What's going on now?" he shouted, mostly to himself than to whoever was listening. And _then_ came the white light… except when it disappeared, the man was still there and his drink was glowing.

"Stupid machine stole our Biomass!" the Hench-bot that had been silent so far spoke up, sounding oddly monotone despite the words conveying anger.

The other bot went over to the panel that contained snapped wires, "Main Conduit ruptured. Attempting Manual Repair." Messing with the wires though, damaged the bot and made it collapse and I had to cover my mouth to keep from making any noise that would alert the bots to my presence.

"Diagnostic complete. Repair requires Hypersocket Wrench and competent Hench-bot." Grimacing at the blunt words spoken, still in a horribly monotone voice, I watched as the bot left before my attention was drawn back to the man.

"Someone help me, I'm stuck!" he cried out and this time, I did manage a laugh, though small as it was, and I finally stood up as soon as I was sure that no more Hench-bots were coming to check out the area.

Jumping down I decided I couldn't do anything to help out the wizard without endangering myself because of the wiring on the machine and continued on past him, only to stop when I heard a fairly loud and slightly panicked voice call out. "Call my agent! My publicist! My stylist! Anyone!" Looking up, I realized that they had someone else trapped above me, like Miss. Archer and also realized that the one who spoke was very decidedly male, so that meant only one thing: the man trapped above me was either World Guy or Goldface and I was actually kind of betting on Mr. Gold.

"Hold on, I'm coming…" I whispered, mostly to myself just to keep any Hench-bots lingering around from hearing that I was here and coming to the rescue.

Grabbing out my bow, I aimed it at a strange green machine that was powering up an even stranger liquid looking green wall and fired it, destroying it so I could get past. And avoiding the laser beam beneath my feet, I did so, coming to the other side of the laser wall.

Finding another button device connected to another laser wall, I frowned when I realized I couldn't reach said button yet and climbed up to the second floor, only to grin when I found a box there that I could push down to the lower floor to reach the button and destroy. And doing just that, I decided to climb back up to the second floor after destroying the button and continued onward, hoping to reach Mr. Gold.

Climbing onto the second yellow cylinder, I shot an arrow back behind me, destroying another button before discovering that I had to go back to the floor below me to destroy a laser device with the shield I have.

Destroying the final device, I climbed back onto the second floor, ready to save Mr. Gold from his laser prison. "Mr. Gold! I'm glad you're safe!" I told him, grinning as I pushed the red button on his prison, watching as the lasers disappeared.

"Finally!" he laughed, stretching out in the costume. "This cage was harder to escape than my modeling contract!" Grinning to myself, I didn't even care that he didn't thank me as I watched him go to the basement via the vent system above us. Following after him, worrying about getting the man in the machine out later once I've saved Mr. Guy- and I really need to come up with more creative names than half their superhero costume identities- I came to the basement once more, relieved to be away from the destruction, if only just temporarily.

"Are you alright Mr. Gold?" I asked, coming to stand beside the actor, and he nodded at me, letting out a deep sigh as he brushed not-so-non-existent dust off of his suit.

"Yeah, kid, I'm fine." he answered, and I could tell there was a frown on his face even though his helmet was covering it. "And here I thought those Goldface fanboys were nuts. This Omegon is on another level!" Grimacing at that, I rubbed at the back of my neck sheepishly, wondering if I should tell him the truth.

"About that… Mr. Gold… Omegon isn't just a fan created person. He… he's real. And he's out to destroy all of you, Miss. Archer and Mr. Guy included." I told him, frowning at him and he flinched back and I knew that that he knew, he just didn't want to admit to it. "I'm sorry this had to happen…" I added in a small pathetic whisper, sighing softly afterwards.

"Yeah…" he sighed as well, looking up at the ceiling, actually tilting his head back visibly before looking back at me. "Tell you what, you can have my Electron Pulse Gauntlets. They'd shoot sparks if the rechargeable batteries weren't dead." he offered, pulling off his gauntlets and handing them to me and I gratefully accepted them, putting them in my backpack for now.

"Thank you," I grinned before deciding to charge the cannons the only way I figured would work. After all, I don't see any batteries lying around- thank you Poptropica very much…

-0-

Back in the Expo Floor, I went to the machine and equipped the gauntlets, putting them, hesitantly, against the wires, hoping this would work. Flinching at the charge the wires gave off, I let out a choked gasp backing away before grinning when I realized the gloves were glowing. "Yes! It worked!"

Testing out the new power in the gauntlets, I charged up the machine and grinned at the man when he was finally free. "Finally! I'm free!" he said and then groaned, looking down at his drink. "And after all of that, I'm not even thirsty anymore… so here. You can have this." he offered, handing me the drink, and I laughed, accepting it with a broken thanks before watching him run off towards the vents.

Depositing the energy drink inside my backpack I finally decided to head back to the Theater. "Time to save the third and final hero involved in this villain caused disaster…"

-0-

Now able to operate the platforms, I did so, getting out the bow immediately after to destroy a device that ran another liquid laser wall, terminating the wall immediately and I jumped from the platform to the second floor, using my shield to direct the flow of the laser to the thing powering it.

"Ack!" I fell back the second that the laser destroyed my shield, and though I was glad that it also managed to destroy the device that was connected to the laser beam, I wasn't very happy about almost being burned by said laser. "Crap… my shield melted…" I hissed, groaning as I finally decided to get up, heading back down to the floor below, and I put the gauntlets back on, getting the second platform to work and waited, with my bow out again, for it to get level enough with the green button operating the laser wall preventing me from getting to Mr. Guy.

Heading up again, I jumped off the platform and pushed the red button on his cage, releasing him from it. "That is it! I'm going back to broadway!" Flinching back when he pushed me out of the way, I could only watch helplessly as he jumped down, via platform, and went back to, presumably, the basement.

Following after him, though hesitant this time, I decided to talk to him, having noticed that he had a shield on him, one different than the one I had been using.

-0-

"Mr… uhm… G-Guy…?" I questioned, unable to help the stutter, wondering if he'd still be upset.

"Take my advice kid, don't go into acting. Stardom isn't all about fast cars and good times," he grumbled, crossing his arms, looking peeved. "Sometimes you get kidnapped by a robot from another dimension." he finished in a hiss and I kept myself from flinching away, because I understood his anger, but that didn't mean he had to take it out on me. He snorted then and took his shield off, handing it off to me, "Here, take my shield. Could be of more use to you than me, though it does make a pretty good mirror to check your hair out with."

Taking the shield with more hesitance, I let out a soft sigh and nodded my thanks to him, ready to go back to the Theater room, only to realize that I finally had all three weapons. My eyes widened before I grinned and I let out a relieved laugh, jumping down to the floor and skidding to a halt in front of the lady in the blue costume. "I've got them!" I told her, excited, and her eyes widened.

"Are you sure? You have them all?"

"Yes! The shield, the bow, and the gauntlets!" I showed them to her and she seemed appeased by that. "All of the Mighty Action Force's weapons!"

"Alphaon, here we come!" the man behind her shouted, grinning as wide as he could and I grinned back at him. All of that changed the instant that she smirked, my attention drawn back to her.

"Well in that case… we are here, My Lord!" she called out and then all of a sudden, the floors started shaking and a bright light filled the room before _he_ appeared. Omegon… and this time I could only feel the anger bubbling beneath my skin, instead of the fear and the shock I had once felt, before I had ended up here in the basement.

"Omegon!" I growled out, tense as a log and he growled back at me, as I watched those near him flee towards our side of the room, their screams and cries of terror filling my ears and turning my blood cold.

"Resistance is _futile_." Omegon spoke up, his Hench-bots staring menacingly at us all.

Turning my head suddenly towards the lady, who I thought I could trust, I glared at her, my hands clenched in the gauntlets. "I'm sorry," she said, sounding anything but, "this was the only way."

"How _could_ you!" I snapped, disbelief and anger coloring my voice and this time she _did_ look sorry, but only for a moment before her face hardened as she explained her reasoning behind her betrayal.

"For months we've been living underground, barely scraping by," those words had me freezing in terror, fear not for the situation at hand but at the word 'months'. Had I been asleep… for that long? All this destruction wasn't caused within a night…? But that's… impossible… because that meant several months had passed and I had been _unconscious_ … when I could've been saving Poptropica, getting that much closer to going back home and seeing my family again. "It was only a matter of time before Omegon got to us, too!" her voice brought me back to reality and I glared at her again, unable to sort my emotions anymore; I felt it all, from hurt to anger, and fear to the hopelessness of the situation.

"And what do you think happens now, huh?" I hissed back at her, unable to help it, before frowning in realization. "What kind of deal did Omegon offer you?"

"In exchange for giving up the resistance?" she asked and tilted her head up, looking down at me. "He promised me the powers of Alphaon." she answered her own question before turning to Omegon. "Omegon, I'm ready!"

Turning back to Omegon, I watched as he addressed his minions, "Take her to the processing plant." he ordered them and they made noises in affirmation, before racing over to her, grabbing her even as she struggled.

"What!? No!" she cried out, looking enraged, "I did everything you asked!" and I felt just a tiny bit of satisfaction, overriding any pity I felt for her.

And then Omegon laughed, the room shaking once more, "The reign of Omegon is here…! Welcome," he said, his voice dark and dangerous, "to your _doom_ …" and then he disappeared along with the lady.

"Hey! Get back here!" I shouted, anger back in full force, ready to chase after him, only to be pulled back by the man dressed as a ninja. "Let go of me!"

"Come on! You're no help to us dead!" he hissed back at me and I only glared at him. "This isn't what happened in the comic though…" he gritted his teeth, looking lost, and I forced myself to relax, especially as I heard Mr. Gold speak up, whimpering in fear at the situation.

"What are we going to do?" I asked, helpless now, and I glanced back at the Hench-bots still in the room, nervous fear now replacing the anger, even if I tried to hold onto at least a little bit of it so as not to lose all hope I felt just yet.

"Hold on, okay, I think I have an idea," he said, letting go of me before digging out another comic. "In Issue #367, the Mighty Action Force sent Omegon back to his home dimension by overloading the Omega Crystal. See?" he handed me the comic and I frowned, looking it over, before understanding what he was suggesting.

"Okay…?" I questioned, looking back up at him and he grinned.

"So… not all hope is lost, okay?"

Nodding my head, I put the comic in my backpack before steeling myself up as I decided to ask the most important question here, "Where can I find the Omega Crystal?"

"The crystal will be in Omegon's Throne Room! You go on ahead, and I'll hold the bots off!"

Allowing a little smirk to cross my face, even in this situation, crossing my arms, "You know, that's… uncharacteristically noble of you." I said with a tiny laugh bubbling up and he smirked back at me.

"Every comic series has a heroic sacrifice," he said in answer, nodding in time with his words, "It's what Stan Ditko would have wanted." Bowing my head to him in answer, I offered him a silent good luck as he raced towards the Hench-bots before making my own way to the Theater once more, ready to finish this once and for all.

And I have never been more glad that the hero in the story- me- for once didn't have all of the important gadgets taken away by the bad guys.

-0-

Back in the Theater, I used the gauntlets to go up the platform and equipped the shield after jumping to the top floor, ready to disable the lasers in my way. Doing so, I went back down to the bottom floor, going farther down the room to access the crystal and the machine underneath what I guessed was Omegon's throne.

Seeing the energy drink container on the sticks attached to the machine, I frowned in confusion before grinning and decided to use the cans I've collected and attached them to the device like the first one. And with each one on the device added, the crystal became more and more cracked.

When I had one left, I frowned again, unsure what to do now, because I didn't have anymore.

Pacing back and forth, trying to figure out what to do, it was only when I stared at the cans again that I remembered there was a broken soda machine back at the Exhibit Hall.

"That's it!" I laughed to myself before heading back to the Exhibit Hall to do just that.

-0-

Using the gloves on the machine, I grabbed the soda can and raced back to the Theater. It didn't escape my mind how the basement had been completely empty when I returned.

-0-

Shaking my head, I quickly placed the last can onto the peg, prepared for what was going to happen, ready for the crystal to be destroyed. The crystal was shaking, splintering at the touch of the laser beams and I grinned wickedly, my face hurting at how wide it was, but I didn't care, and I turned my attention to the machine next to the crystals, ignoring the noise the crystal was making and the rumbling under my feet.

Powering the levers, I jumped up to the floor above me, ready to shoot an arrow at the crystal and shatter it. Taking aim, I readied an arrow, the grin never leaving my face, before finally releasing it, watching with wide eyes as the arrow hit its intended target, effectively shattering the crystal for good.

I was not prepared for what happened next…

When the crystal shattered, it destroyed the room and I had thought for sure that I'd won-

"I did it! I defeated Omegon!" I cried out, laughing out loud and dancing in my excitement.

-but that was far from the truth…

 _"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"_ Omegon's voice boomed out, freezing me in my tracks and I let out a cry of shock and disbelief, my eyes impossibly wide. _"Now I will show you real power!"_

And when the whole room started to shake, an ominous portal had opened up and swallowed me whole.

Not in a million years would I have been prepared for _any_ of this.

Because the next thing I knew, I was before Omegon, facing him, and I felt… off, but it was in a good way. I felt… powerful, and not afraid.

"Alphaon…" Omegon growled out, his voice no longer striking fear within me, and that in itself frightened me, but I showed no emotion as I turned towards him, finally ready, even if I was just a tiny bit confused as to why he called me 'Alphaon'. "We meet… at last…!" He laughed out loud and I steeled myself up, eyes narrowed as I prepared for battle.

"This is your end, Omegon!" My voice was loud and it echoed all around me, but he just continued laughing.

"I think not." he held out his arms. "Behold my true form!"

When he disappeared, I twisted myself around, this way and that, to try and find him in the pitch black darkness, but it was only when the darkness faded that I found him, and to say that I was shocked, was an understatement.

As I said, nothing could have prepared me for this.

"Fine! You wanna play it the hard way?" I growled out at him, looking up at the massive machine that he was. "You should never underestimate…" I started, ready more than ever now, "a true Poptropican!"

Grabbing out my shield, I redirected the beams from the lasers to destroy the devices on the mechanical arms, avoiding them as they crashed down, before using the gloves to activate the platforms, climbing on them before grabbing out my bow, ready to destroy the green buttons that would disable the forcefields around his eyes.

"You're making it too easy for me…" I hissed to myself, jumping down to do the same thing to the other arm, grabbing out my bow to destroy the other buttons. When his eyes were exposed, I jumped down and grabbed out my shield, directing the beams up into his eyes, destroying them in the process. "Now you're blind!" I shouted up at him and he roared out in anger, thrashing out and about, destroying everything around him.

He was falling apart at the bolts and I felt pride and triumph to watch him do that to himself.

Counting down the seconds, I narrowed my eyes as I watched him tremble and roar, blind and angry and scared. "Omegon! You're no more!" I finally shouted to him and he tripped over his own arms, his machines backfiring on him and one by one they exploded, damaging him in the process before he was finally on the ground, in pieces and no longer able to take over any other realm.

My confidence only faded when the realm started shaking and when Omegon had blown himself up, so did the area around me.

Panicking, I twisted myself around, before spotting a portal behind me and I made a mad dash towards it, reaching it the second that everything around me exploded and I was thrown into the portal with a loud cry.

-0-

Crashing to the ground, I let out a groan of pain, sitting up as I rubbed at the sore spots on my head, butt, and arms. "I am never… doing that… ever again…" I muttered to myself, before suddenly freezing up when I heard voices all around me and I realized I wasn't alone. Standing up quickly, eyes wide, I looked around me before finally noticing the lady in the blue costume and I growled at her. "I hope you're happy!" I shouted, upset and rightfully so.

She frowned and looked guilty, before smiling sheepishly, "Can we… just forget the part where I tried to sell out all of humankind? Maybe if I give you this?" she asked and held out the final Island Medallion.

Frowning at her, I looked at the medal before sighing, deflating and I snatched the medal from her hands, turning my back on all four of them, definitely sick and tired of this place already.

Before I could take another step, however, my medallion was stolen by Akaeli, and I cried out in indignation. "H-hey! Give that back you overcooked chicken!" Chasing after her, I only realized she was leading the way back to my blimp a little too late and I skidded to a halt, eyes wide when I saw Darren, smirking down at me from my blimp. "W-what are you doing up there!? That's _my_ blimp, you know?" I huffed out, pouting now and he laughed, accepting the medal from Akaeli before holding it up for me to see. "And _my_ medal too!"

"Then come and get it," he grinned, showing too perfect teeth and I blinked stupidly, " _hero_ ," before blushing and I grinned back up at him, taking the rope in hand and climbing up it. Pushing at his shoulder once I was up in the basket, ignoring Akaeli's squawk of anger, I stole my medal back, putting it in my backpack. "So… where to next?"

"Ha! What makes you think you're coming with me, huh fire breath?" I teased him, smirking and laughing when he put a hand over his heart, acting wounded.

"Oh, my fair Noel! How you wound me so!" he cried out playfully and I could only laugh harder, nearly collapsing in the basket. "Come on, if I promise to keep Akaeli's feathers to herself, will you let me stay?" he gave a mock-pout, his eyes pleading and I could swear…

"Okay…"

...I melted.

"But… but only if you keep that bird to yourself!" I added, blushing hotly as I realized I'd been acting like a girl with a crush.

"Okay." Darren said with a smirk, as if he _knew_. "I promise." he added and I bit back a smile when the smirk on his face bled into his own gentle smile, before turning away, readying the balloon for the newest journey. "So… where to?"

Hearing the repeated question, I only grinned and didn't even both to look back at him before answering: "We'll see."

Three islands down in my journey to save Poptropica and I can only say one thing to whatever comes next…

...ready or not, here I come!


	6. Lunar Colony Island

White Wolf Fan Fiction Presents:

~Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'~

A Poptropica Story

* * *

 **Title:** Poptropica Islands 'Starting Anew'

 **Warnings:** Game Spoilers (Game Walk-Through); Childish 'Humor'; In-Game Story-Line

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Poptropica or the islands that I will be playing. I do own Noel and the general character profile, 'Gentle Lightning', and every action written within this story is mine and mine alone.

 **Summary:** Lunar Colony Island- an adventure in space. Every kid's dream, right? But when Noel is tricked into going up into space /alone/... thing start to get complicated.

 **A/N:** Following the old 'Poptropica Islands' collection, this story will be based off of my own game play and some conversation may not be written correctly, unless I 'cheat' and go through other game plays to find what that individual character says at the time of the game play. Every mistake is my own, but most islands I _have_ played through and for the most part, I _do_ remember some of them, so some islands might be easier than others. If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, etc. feel free to leave a review and/or message me personally. Other than that, have fun reading the new and improved Poptropica Islands~

* * *

 **Lunar Colony Island**

-0-

Traveling with Darren wasn't so bad, because for once my time spent flying over the ocean in my blimp wasn't filled with silence, even if half the conversations were spent with my face feeling hot under his teasing comments and admittedly enchanting laughter- please don't tell Alexis I thought this... But, speaking of laughter, he was at it again, laughing at himself though this time, as he recounted one of his first adventures on Poptropica.

Letting a smile cross my face, I turned to him, watching the sparkling eyes as his laughter quieted, "You really did that?"

"Hard to believe I know, but it's true!" he snorted and pushed at Akaeli when she squawked in laughter at him, clearly recalling the memory herself. "Last time I ever accept a dare from that no-good scallywag back on that disaster of an island! I'm just lucky I didn't get sick of the water after going through all of that."

Giggling to myself, I leaned back against the basket, tilting my head at him. "Why'd you need to go to Skullduggery, anyway?" I asked and he huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms as a mock-sour look crossed his face.

"Xanthous wanted information on a possible new recruit for the war. Couldn't find her though, probably won't even if I go back and try again." he sighed and deflated, putting a frown on my own face before I offered a shy smile.

"W-well… I could… I-I mean… maybe…-"

"Awww, is the pretty little magician offering to help little ol' me out on this quest of mine?" Darren teased, leaning down with a huge grin on his face and I blushed again, feeling my face heat up in embarrassment, before scowling at him.

"You know what, forget I said anything!" I huffed, turning away and crossing my arms.

My blush darkened when he crossed the blimp to stand beside me, and even though I refused to show my face to him, I saw his own as clear as day, a gentle smile upon it. "It would mean a lot to me if you did that for me," he said, serious, no hint of teasing in his voice now. "I know that we've only just met, and that this is all new to you… especially with the war and… me dragging you into it..." he sighed then and looked down, but I was having none of it.

"Hey, I'm not complaining… not really anyway. I mean, Poptropica can work a bit on its logic but…" he snickered at my words before full out laughing, and I couldn't help but join in after a few seconds.

"Indeed," he said between laughter, and when we quieted down, silence took over again, but it was comfortable. "Noel…" he broke it though, chuckling to himself, and putting a hand on my shoulder, "I'm glad Xanthous chose you. And if you ever need my help… if ever we're separated, you call me at anytime, okay?"

Nodding my head with a grin, I answered with a very enthusiastic, "Yeah!"

-0-

"Lunar Colony Island." Darren chuckled, leaning over the basket of the blimp as he caught sight of our next destination. "Interesting, and certainly a welcome change from Poptropicon."

Laughing to myself, I shook my head and smirked at him, "I don't know, I had a lot of fun, going from costume to costume, but… you're right. I much prefer my own costume to any of the others," I said, fingering the fabric of my cape and twirling my cane in my hands, "even if I _did_ manage to rock Thor's outfit. It's a shame I didn't get to keep Mjölnir..."

"Oh quit pouting, I think your cane is going to get jealous." Darren snickered and I pushed at him, playfully, before turning to look back at the island, playing idly with the aforementioned cane.

"Should we land?" I asked and he turned to the island as well, suddenly serious as he nodded.

"I'd rather us land now and resupply before our next journey to the next island." he answered and I nodded back, deciding that made enough sense to me that I chose to land the blimp on Lunar Colony Island without another word.

So… down we went.

-0-

Climbing down from the blimp, myself after Darren, we looked around, discovering ourselves near an old air hangar that was converted into a gift shop. By the old hangar, near where we landed, a family of four were idly roaming the grounds, most definitely tourists, though the two kids- while the adults were taking pictures and the man was nodding to whatever his wife was rambling excitedly about- looked decidedly bored. "Huh, this place doesn't look like much for tourism…" I hummed, mostly to myself, before turning to Darren and he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

"Nonetheless, come along, let's see what we're dealing with," he said with a smile, nodding past the gift shop.

"Down that way…? But… what about-" I cut myself off, turning around and facing a stage with an older man on it, with a banner overhead that said 'Meet an Astronaut' or something like that. Smirking in return, he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side, waiting, it seemed, and I blinked back at him, frowning. "...what?"

"Oh nothing," he laughed, ruffling my hair and knocking my hat off my head.

"H-hey!" I cried out, fumbling to catch the hat and I glowered when he continued to laugh, walking past the family and across the concrete past the gift shop. Huffing, I put my hat back on my head, fixing my cape, straightening my jacket, and gripping tight to my cane- I had no choice but to follow after him, pouting though I was, unless I wanted to leave him to his own devices.

Unfortunately, I _liked_ his company for some reason, so I wasn't about to go off on my own despite every little annoying thing he does.

Lucky for me and my pride, his chosen route ended in a dead end, our path blocked by dozens of stacked boxes. "Ha!" I laughed, sticking my tongue out at him when he frowned, adorably confused. It was a good thing his back was towards me, so he didn't see the heat on my cheeks at my thoughts.

"Akaeli?" Darren nodded to the firebird and she huffed, flying up and over the boxes before returning a minute later, shaking her head at him. "Alright, fine," he finally admitted with a chuckle, turning to me and I nearly bit my tongue, the blush darkening when he did so, "looks like we're going your way after all."

Deciding to turn without a word, lest my voice break or something embarrassing like that, I led him back towards the main area and farther past the blimp and towards the stage with the old man on it. He looked forlorn for reasons I couldn't understand, but the second he saw us walking towards him, he sighed and straightened up.

"Welcome to Lunar Colony Island, what can I do for you folks today?" he asked and I blinked, relatively surprised that he acknowledged our presence.

"Hi," I greeted in return, smiling at him and I received a little smile in return.

"You're an astronaut?" Darren asked, sounding genuinely interested and I looked back at him, a little surprised. He only smirked back at me, as if he had a secret he knew that I didn't.

"Indeed, or… at least, I was an astronaut. Things ain't like they used to be now," the man sighed again and crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and he ran a hand through his hair. "In my day, thousands of people came to see a space launch. Folks just aren't interested anymore…" he finished, in a sad tone and I finally understood.

"I'm sorry…" I told him and he shrugged.

"Suppose it's not too big of a deal anymore. Kids nowadays don't seem to take to the interests of space and whatever is out there," he said with a light chuckle, and I smiled again, truly believing that he was okay with everything, if not just a little saddened. "Shame though. Space is a beautiful thing…"

"Yeah, being in a rocket, I'm sure, is second to flying a blimp under the stars." Darren grinned and the man laughed.

"Sure is, but who knows, maybe one day you kids'll be up there among the stars one day?" Darren sighed wistfully at that and chuckled, looking up at the sky and I marveled the look of longing and awe on his face.

"That'll be something…" he murmured and I let a little chuckle escape, watching as his head jerked down in surprise before he shook it with another chuckle of his own. I looked at the table then, focusing my attention on something else and I tilted my head in curiosity when I spotted the little space rock sitting there on it.

"What's this?" I asked him and the man snorted, scratching at the back of his head, but I could tell there was a little bit of pride there when he spoke.

"A little keepsake, from my last mission," he answered with another little shrug. "Anything else you wanted from me?" he asked, suddenly changing subjects and I frowned at him before looking at the photographs- of Captain Gordon, before and after his last mission- and I sighed softly to myself before shaking my head.

"No, thank you though. And I wish you luck with your little… greet and meet here…" Darren spoke up, nodding to the table and the sign before gently taking my elbow and he led us both off the stage and we went on our ways.

"You like space?" I questioned when we were out of earshot and he grinned, looking a little sheepish now.

"Yeah, more or less. It was… sort of my passion when I was a kid." he admitted, looking up- it was while he was looking up at the sky again that I noticed he was still holding onto my arm, but I let it go because he was a little distracted and it wouldn't be fair to leave him to his own devices. He might just trip and fall, after all, and that would be my fault, regardless if he was the one not paying attention. "I used to have a telescope of my own that I'd go up to the attic and use, looking through it at all the stars in the sky. Used to be able to name all the constellations too, till my dad told me stargazing was for chumps and broke my telescope."

"Oh…" I deflated, upset now, but I watched as he looked down at me and smiled, shrugging a little.

"Nah, it's all in the past. I'm over it, but I suppose I still do my fair share of stargazing every now and then. Can't help it if the stars are beautiful, still even after all these years," he said with a chuckle and a little grin and I smiled back, unable to help it. Akaeli huffed from her perch on Darren's shoulder and I laughed at her, still amused at how easy it was to rile her up- it wasn't my fault, after all, that Darren was paying more attention to me than her now that he's tagged along with my little adventure.

Turning to look ahead, I paused, only for a brief second, when I realized where we were headed: Mission Control. "Should… should we be heading this way?" I asked him and he smirked again, before tilting his head and he chuckled again.

"Relax," he told me, "what's the worst that can happen?"

Frowning, I narrowed my eyes at him, "We're in Poptropica… in the middle of a war. You tell me."

Snorting in dubious laughter, Darren shook his head before nodding, "Alright, fair enough. If it makes you feel any better, I'll lead?" he offered, but I only rolled my eyes at him before pushing ahead, just a little annoyed, but I definitely didn't deny the smile on my face from his laughter-filled tone.

-0-

The first building we came across was huge, with fences on top of the rooftops and a sign that had several letters missing from it. 'Poptropica Academy of Space Exploration,' PASE. A weird little acronym, but it sold its point across to anyone that bothered to care.

And in front of the large double doors was an adorable little brown English Mastiff, dozing lightly on the ground, with a little police hat of his own on his head. "Oh he's so cute!" I exclaimed and Darren snorted, an eyebrow raised as he stared at the dog in front of us.

"Is this their idea of a security system? Really?" He asked, motioning to the dog and I huffed, kneeling down to pet the dog and I was pleased when big brown eyes opened to greet me. "H-hey! He could be vicious!" Darren jumped back when the dog yawned wide and I laughed in response.

"Oh hush! He's not going to harm anyone," I grinned before changing the tone of my voice a little, "isn't that right? Oh! You are absolutely adorable!" I laughed again when the dog responded positively to my pettings, getting up, his tail wagging and he licked at my face eagerly. "Down boy! Okay!"

Darren snickered at the scene before finally the dog settled back down and I stood back up with a final pat to his neck. "You're something else, you know that?" he chuckled and I grinned back, more than pleased. "Come on, let's head inside then, and see what's up." he added, nodding to the doors and I finally turned my attention towards them, blinking slowly before nodding myself.

Leading the way inside, I wasn't all that surprised to find the room we found ourselves in to be in complete disarray, with only a few people and several monitors everywhere. The lady- her brown ponytail tied maybe a little too tight- was too distressed to notice our arrival, her eyes going from clipboard to screen, over and over as she flew to several different spots in the room; she was muttering about not having enough money and how there wasn't enough people to do any of whatever this is.

The only other person in the room- aside from the guy in the astronaut suit on the largest monitor screen that looked about ready to be _sick_ \- was an old man that looked just as distressed as the lady going from computer to computer.

"Uhm, excuse me, sir?" I tried to get the old man's attention, but he wouldn't look at me, even as he muttered to himself. "What-?"

"Safety check is complete," he started, before running his hands through his grey hair, "but there is still a million other things we need to do!" Darren and I shared a slightly worried look, before suddenly the doors flew open and a man- with spiked blonde hair and a rich air about him- walked in, towards all of us.

"Why isn't anyone keeping an eye on Hatcher?" he demanded, looking a tiny bit angry now, and I assumed he was talking about the astronaut on the screen. "He looks like he's about to lose his lunch!" Darren snorted at that, earning a sharp glare- and a giggle from me- from the director before he returned his attention back to the lady and the old man.

"We're so sorry, sir," the lady stammered, looking more distressed now and the old man grimaced.

"We're doing our best, sir," he tried and the director growled in return, fists clenching in his anger.

"Sheesh, and what crawled up his ass-?" Darren started to whisper to me and this time it was my turn to glare, not exactly approving of his language. "...sorry. Butt. What crawled up his _butt_ and died." he corrected and I couldn't hold back another giggle if I tried, finally earning the director's permanent attention, much to my anxiousness when he finally turned in our direction, a glare- though curious as it obviously was- cast at us, his arms crossed and his right fingers tapping impatiently against his left arm.

"I'm sorry," he didn't sound very sorry, instead he sounded like my mom when Dad tried to argue with her whenever she says she's right, "who exactly are you?"

When Darren opened his mouth to reply, I elbowed him in the side, not wanting him to be rude again, and instead decided it was best if I answered, but all I got out was, "Sorry, we're-" before he interrupted me.

He held up a hand and shook his head sharply, "Never mind! What matters is who _I_ am. And I am Flight Director Slayton and I need a hand."

Frowning now, I tensed up a little, "What do you-?" Darren was the one that interrupted me this time, snorting incredulously before he spoke.

"What exactly do you need _our_ help with?" he asked and the director glared at him once more before turning back to me. It made me nervous to have this man's attention on my person and that only made the situation a little more worse because of how Darren was acting around this man.

"I need your _help_ ," he growled out, "to find something to calm Hatcher's stomach _before_ he manages to empty it inside the ship."

Blinking in surprise, I opened my mouth again to talk, only this time Darren beat me before I could utter a single noise, "Yeah sure, no problem, _boss_ ," he grumbled and grabbed my hand before dragging me away. I was torn between confusion and anger at the way he was acting, but decided to ignore it for the moment until we finally got outside.

" _What_ is your _problem_!?" I snapped at him, tearing my hand from his and he snorted again, crossing his arms and glaring at the sky.

"My _problem_ , as you put it so eloquently, is that I can't _stand_ guys like that. Asses the lot of them-"

"Language," I bit out, annoyed and he sighed softly, rubbing a hand over his face and he deflated.

"Right, sorry… I'm sorry. Didn't mean to… lose my cool, I guess." he murmured and I let out a soft sigh of my own before shaking my head.

"Just… don't let it happen again? We need these people to like us if we're going to even begin to figure out what's wrong with the island to save it." I told him and he nodded in agreement.

"So, what now?" he asked, looking around and then finally back at me, an eyebrow raised in question.

"We go get a Ginger Ale to calm the astronaut's stomach," I answered and he frowned in confusion, obviously questioning _where_ we're even going to get a drink like that here. "Come on, let's go ask Captain Gordon," I smiled and he chuckled, shaking his head lightly before then nodding and he held out his hand, smirking.

"After you," he said and I stuck my tongue out at him before doing just that, making my way and leading Darren back towards the stage where Captain Gordon was.

I was a little disappointed when I saw that the table had been cleared and Captain Gordon was nowhere to be found. "Oh…" I sighed softly before shaking my head and I watched Darren walk towards the table, and he grabbed the only thing left on the table before tossing it to me and I barely had enough time to react to catch it, my eyes wide as I did before they narrowed when he snickered.

"Look at that, an unopened bottle of Ginger Ale," he said with a light tone of sarcasm before he smiled and then grinned, nodding his head towards the bottle. "Nice catch, by the way."

"Yeah, sure, thanks, jerk…" I muttered, before sticking the bottle into my backpack and I huffed as I turned away. "Let's just head to the ship to give Hatcher his drink, okay?"

"Of course," Darren agreed, leaving the subject be and we walked in silence back to Mission Control and even past the building, towards the launch area.

-0-

We called the elevator down before riding it back up, all the way to the top, before making our way inside the spaceship, where Hatcher was standing, looking terrible. Grabbing the bottle out for him, I offered him a small, reassuring smile before handing the drink to him, "Here, this will help the ache," I told him and he smile weakly back at me before unscrewing the cap and he took a generous sip.

A few seconds later, he burped and I giggled a little when Darren snorted in light laughter. Hatcher grinned back at us, looking a little sheepish, but it was obvious how much better he looked and probably felt, "Ah, I am starting to feel better. Thanks, you're a life saver."

"You're welcome," Darren chuckled and the man hummed, looking around.

"I guess… I am a little nervous. I've never been in space before," he said and I beamed at him.

"Totally understandable!" I told him and he looked back at me before brightening up and then he looked down at his helmet before looking back up at me and Darren.

"If you wouldn't mind doing me one more favor…" he started slowly and I tilted my head, nodding for him to continue, "would you mind holding this?"

Blinking slowly, I looked at Darren before turning back and I nodded, unsure and hesitant. "S-sure…?"

"Thanks, I uh… left my uh… _wallet_ back in my car." he said before handing me the helmet and then he was suddenly leaving out the door. Darren and I stared after him for a few moments in shock before I suddenly tensed in realization- this was Poptropica after all and I turned towards Darren with wide fearful eyes as he met my own in confusion.

"Noel, what-?"

"Darren…! You have to leave." I told him- I barely realized that I had dropped the helmet when I discovered exactly what was going to happen- quick and jittery, and then suddenly I was pushing him out the door just as the walkway was pulling away, "Now!"

"Noel!" he shouted back, his own eyes wide, just as the door snapped shut before I could leave too.

And suddenly I realized just how screwed I was…

…I was trapped…!

"No…! No, no, no!" I groaned and paced the floor of the ship before looking around and I suddenly heard static from one of the consoles and I made my way over to it, pushing a button on it. "H-hello?" I squeaked out, panic and fear making me tremble.

 _"It seems Hatcher's had a case of the jitters and won't be coming back,"_ the director's voice floated in through the comms and I groaned, running my hands through my hair, knocking my hat off of my head and I barely spared a glance back towards it before the director spoke again. _"Luckily, you seem to be the perfect replacement to fly the mission."_

"No! N-no! Are you _insane_!? I can't fly a rocket! I-I'm only a kid!" I argued, hitting my hands against the dashboard and I bit back the whimper that wanted to leave, trying to get my breathing under control, but it was hard to do that when I was on a _rocket_ that was ready to launch into _space_.

 _"Flying the ship isn't much harder than flying a jumbo jet,"_ the director stated and I wanted to throw something at him, I swear I did, because he _wasn't helping_. At all. _"Stay calm and-"_

"Calm…? _Calm_ …!? How the heck am I supposed to stay calm!?" I cried out, closing my eyes tightly and I could feel the tears at them.

 _"Hey kid- what? What are_ you _doing here!? Get him out of here- no! Stop!"_ the director's voice sounded angry and panicked and I had no idea why until suddenly Darren's voice came through the comms.

 _"Noel._ Noel _. Breathe."_ he ordered and I choked out a laugh.

"R-right… s-sure…" I told him, like it was no problem. Like it was _easy_. This wasn't like the first time. This time… this time I was way in over my head. I'm in a spaceship ready for launch, going into outer space. And I had no idea what would happen after that, when- _if_ \- I made it there.

 _"Breathe. Come on, with me. In,_ " he spoke up and I could hear him taking in a breath, loud enough that it carried through to me and I couldn't help but try and follow him, taking in a shaky breath and holding it until, _"and out."_ Letting out the breath, I sniffled and wiped at my tears. _"Good. Again. In and out,"_ he did it again and I followed him, _"In. And out. Good, okay. You okay now?"_

"Y-yeah…" I gave a shaky nod even though he couldn't see me and I heard a sigh of relief.

 _"It's okay Noel… we'll get through this, okay? Remember, it's Poptropica. What's the worst that it can throw at you here?"_ Letting out a shaky laugh, I shook my head and smiled a little when he laughed too.

"O-oh I don't know… Asteroids… Black holes…" I started and then grinned cheekily, "Aliens?" I added and he snorted in laughter once more, the sound loud and _that_ was what relaxed me enough to figure that, yeah, okay, _maybe_ I can do this.

 _"Not likely,"_ he chuckled and I smiled again, sighing softly as I turned and picked up my hat, setting it on one of the levers before grabbing the helmet that landed by the door and I frowned now, looking at it. _"It'll be okay… I promise."_

"...okay." I murmured before taking in a deep breath and I nodded again. "Okay. I'm ready. What do I have to do?"

 _"Strap yourself in,"_ the angered and annoyed voice of the director came back through the comms just as the ship started rumbling and I barely kept my panic at bay and I did as told, sitting in the only chair available and I strapped myself into it, holding tightly onto the helmet with one hand and the chair with the other. _"It's going to be a bumpy ride."_

"O-okay, now what?"

 _"Great, now see those knobs in front of you on either side of the console? Those need to be adjusted, both to 4,150 pounds of thrust."_ the director ordered and I leaned forward a little to reach them, turning each of the knobs to adjust the numbers.

When I did it, I could feel the affect, as the rocket launched from the ground into the sky. Swallowing hard, I focused on trying to calm my breathing and I looked at everything on the console before turning my attention towards the screen that showed the fuel levels. "T-tank one is kind of running low… w-what do I do?"

 _"Good catch. When it get's to five percent, you'll need to switch to tank two and then released the lever for tank one."_ Following the directions, I did so, flipping the guard for the lever after switching the tanks and I flipped the switch down, releasing the tank. _"Now to clear Earth's atmosphere, you'll need to use the steering mechanism in the center of your console to adjust the angle of the spaceship to a hundred and twelve degrees."_

"Got it," I said, nodding my head, and I turned to face the lever, pulling it back before pushing it forward just enough so that the screen had the exact angle I needed.

 _"Excellent! Now just release the second fuel tank and enjoy the view."_ the director chuckled and I let out a sharp breath of relief before doing just that, flipping the switch and then I sat back, letting my head fall back against the headrest.

"Wow…" I murmured after a moment, smiling softly as I looked out the window and out towards space. "Darren… I wish you could see this…"

 _"I can…"_ he hummed and I jerked in surprise before rolling my eyes, not really all that surprised once I recalled the screens back at the control room. _"Space is… beautiful."_

"Yeah…" I hummed before suddenly jerking when I saw a giant rock fly past the ship. "A-asteroid!" I choked out, wishing for once that I had kept my big mouth shut when Darren asked what could go wrong- or maybe it's _his_ fault for even asking in the first place. "W-what do I do!?" I asked, panicking again and the director took over the comms again.

 _"Okay, kid, calm down. What I'm going to need you to do is steer the ship through the asteroids. You_ can't _let them damage the ship."_ he said and I grimaced, taking a hold of the levers that controlled the steering before adjusting them.

Rock after rock flew past the ship and I tried not to jerk too much, but I messed up- once- and let a rock hit the ship. Jerking away and flinching at the sound and the tremor I felt from it, I tried to keep calm and steered through the rest of the asteroids, barely making it through without another screw up. "I-I'm s-sorry…!" I immediately started to apologize but the director cut me off.

 _"Fine, don't worry about it. But that asteroid you hit caused damage to the ship's exterior. You'll need to grab the toolkit and patch her up before continuing."_

Taking that as my cue, I unbuckled the seat and made my way over to where a suit was found, putting it on and then the helmet, before finally going outside, nervous and anxious to do so.

 _"You'll need to locate the toolkit before you can repair the rocket."_ the director spoke through the comms in the helmet and I frowned before nodding my head and I made my way- struggling to move, though I had to admit it was a little like swimming… not that I was barely any good at that either- towards the top of the ship, where a panel was with the label 'Toolkit'.

Opening the panel and grabbing the large brown kit before it managed to float away from me, I made my way back to the underside of the ship, where the damage was, avoiding the small asteroids that floated past as I moved through space. When I got there, I winced at the damage _I_ caused and then set about repairing it, opening the kit and then grabbing out a tube of what looked like cement and applied it to the hole.

Sighing softly in relief, I nodded my head and put the tube away, closing the kit before hearing the director's voice float through the comms. _"Great. You repaired the damage you caused."_ he said, sarcasm evident and I flinched at the tone. _"We're setting the ship to autopilot now, so you don't screw up again."_

"I-I'm sorry…" I muttered and barely cracked a smile when I heard Darren growling in anger at the director, no doubt for his harsh tone.

 _"Just tell the kid the damn mission and quit blaming him for_ your _screw up. It's your fault he's there in the first place,"_ Darren snapped and the director huffed, no doubt put out by being told off by a teenager. I heard Akaeli squawk in the background and this time, my smile was more than a mere twitch, knowing that Akaeli at least cared a _little_ for my well-being.

 _"Fine. Get back inside the ship and I'll tell you your mission as I set the controls to autopilot."_ Sighing softly, I nodded my head and used the hose to make my way back without getting pulled further out into space, and once safe inside again, I closed the door behind me and discarded the hose, taking my helmet off. Safe and relaxed, somewhat anyway, now, I made my way back to the chair just as the ship started moving forward again.

 _"Well…?"_ Darren growled, impatient apparently and I let a little chuckle slip.

"Darren, it's okay, really. I'm fine." I told him and he huffed in answer, though a few seconds later the director began to speak, in a tone filled with annoyance.

 _"We've lost contact with an astronaut, Commander Salerno, who was stationed on the Moon Base. Your mission, is to find her and bring her home. Safe."_ the director said and I nodded slowly before leaning back and I sighed again, closing my eyes, feeling drained. _"Oh yes, go ahead and sleep while there is still-"_

 _"Oh cut the shit!"_ Darren snapped and my own eyes snapped wide open, guilt and anxiety flooding through me- I couldn't even manage to call Darren out on his language. _"It's okay Noel. Rest for now. It'll be a few hours before you can do anything more. I promise I'll wake you when it's time."_ he spoke to me, his voice soft and easy and understanding and I felt my eyes fluttering shut without my consent. _"Sleep."_

Darren's voice was the last thing I heard as I fell easily into a, sadly, restless sleep.

-0-

 _"Noel,"_ groaning softly, I curled further into myself, uncomfortable but unwilling to wake just yet, _"Noel. It's time to get up."_ Darren chuckled and I made another noise of discontent, _"Little magician… come on, the director's on my ass about waking you up now so you can fly the pod to the moon, or whatever."_

I was _barely_ able to register his words, but when I did, I couldn't help the first word that came from my mouth, my voice heavy with sleep and rough. "...language…" I muttered and then yawned, cracking a smile when Darren laughed and my eyes finally fluttered open. I stretched out and yawned again. "Hm… now what…?" I questioned, wondering what I needed to do now that I was awake.

 _"We've taken the ship off autopilot, kid. It's up to you to fly the Lunar Lander and reach the moon's surface._ Don't _screw it up."_ the director snorted and I grimaced as I was rudely reminded of my failure earlier.

 _"He's not going to,"_ Darren gritted out and I let a smile slip across my lips, happy to know I have his faith in me.

"Just… don't leave me alone and I won't…" I whispered, mostly to myself, a warm flush coloring my cheeks when I registered my own words and the light chuckle from Darren.

 _"'m not going anywhere, Noel, don't worry."_

"Good," I sighed softly, steeling myself up and I put my helmet back on, ready as I'll ever be.

-0-

When I finally climbed from the Lunar Landing- the small pod not that small and surprisingly not broken from the landing- I was feeling nauseous and nothing quelled the sick feeling in my stomach until I was actually on the surface of the moon. "Oooh…" I groaned, falling to my knees and I took in a few shaky breaths to calm myself down.

 _"Are you alright Noel?"_ Darren asked in concern and I managed a little nod.

"O-okay… I-I'm okay… I think…" I swallowed hard and tilted my head back, letting out another deep breath. "Y-yeah, fine…"

 _"Good…"_ Darren sighed in relief just before the director cut in.

 _"Well, well, you continue to surprise me, kid. That was actually a textbook landing."_ he said and I smiled in slightly triumph, a feeling of warmth spreading through me at the words. _"Now let's get to work and find Salerno."_

"Yeah, on it." I hummed in agreement and finally stood up, brushing off the knees of my pants before finally looking around. I was a little disappointed all I saw was space and rock- the moon's surface was actually kind of dull and boring- but I was relieved to see a building several feet away from the pod. "That it, I'm assuming, huh?" I asked and Darren chuckled.

 _"It's Poptropica, Noel. Of course it is,"_ he said and I grinned cheekily in return, deciding to finally go into the building, through the air lock chamber. Now finally inside, I took off my helmet and set it on a hook on the side of the backpack. _"So, what now?"_

"Find some clue where the Commander is." I told him, happy to be making some sort of progress and Darren chuckled.

 _"You're practically on your way home already,"_ he hummed and I grinned in answer, stretching out before starting forward, down the hall and further into the building.

There were two doors- heavy and large and octagonal- that I could see as I made my way further in. One was labeled 'Vehicle Bay' and the other was labeled 'Barracks'. The one with leading to the barracks had a keypad though, so I knew it would be moot point to go inside and instead turned my attention to the other door.

Entering the vehicle bay, I immediately noticed that the place was a mess and obviously hadn't been used in a while, judging by the multiple dusty clothes and the crates, sitting undisturbed, packed a mile high in every corner and along every wall. There was a rover far to my right but when I walked over to it, I realized that it was useless to me right now, seeing as how the battery wasn't charged and the rover wouldn't start.

Past the rover was a large rusted lever, but upon investigating it, I wasn't sure if I should pull it or not. Eventually my curiosity won me out and I gripped the lever tight, pulling with all my strength to move it. Grunting with the effort, my hands slipped and I fell back onto my bottom with a sharp cry that I would forever deny turned into a pathetic little whimper afterwards. _"Noel!?"_

"F-fine, I'm fine…" I puffed out, sitting forward and rubbing at the very bottom of my back, a dark blush crossing my face with the embarrassment of the situation. "The uh… t-the lever wouldn't budge…" I mumbled and heard Darren sigh in relief before he chuckled. "Don't laugh…" I added in a pout and I couldn't practically _hear_ the smirk in the tone of his voice.

 _"Wouldn't dream of it, little magician,"_ he said and I also heard Akaeli chirp in laughter in the background before Slayton took over.

 _"It sounds like the inner door is jammed,"_ he said with a notable frown and I blinked, looking the door over that I suddenly realized was there. ...how did I miss that? _"You can probably unjam the door using the computer's Faculty Controls in the crew barracks."_

"But… the barracks are locked…?" I frowned and looked back at the door behind me that led to the hall and the barracks. "Aren't they?"

 _"They shouldn't be."_ he said before adding, _"But to access the controls, you'll need to find the Gatos Operator's Manual somewhere in this facility. Try to find it!"_

"R-right… okay." I sighed and nodded my head before finally pulling myself up and off the floor. "I… I kind of wish I wasn't alone…" I added, slightly in an embarrassed whisper, my shoulders slumped with the realization that I was alone on space on an insane mission I wasn't even supposed to be on in the first place.

 _"You're not…"_ Darren said, breaking me from my thoughts and I only barely managed to crack a smile at his words. _"I'm here… every step of the way. I promise."_

"...I know."

Turning away from the lever, I decided to climb up to the higher floors, noting the several solar panels placed in the room on the platforms- ones matching the solar panel on the rover- and the open locker on the middle floor. It was in that locker- though I swear I hadn't looked on purpose!- where I found the Gatos Operator's Manual.

Once I had the manual in my backpack, I turned my attention to the panels and then to the skylight, surprised to even find sunlight glittering through the windows on the ceiling. And only after remembering a school project I once did in science class with glass and light beams, I decided it couldn't hurt to move the panels to collect the light and shine it on the solar panel on the rover.

To my delight, it worked!

Now the rover was charged and I was free to use it, but without being able to open the gates, it was useless to me right now.

So on to the barracks we go!

-0-

I wasn't sure what to make of the barracks, to be honest. When I first came into the room, I noted a reception desk and then beyond that was a cafeteria sort of area with a few tables and chairs- that were strangely messy- and two arcade games past those. I wasn't really interested in the games, to be honest, but they did look a little like fun.

But I had a job to do.

Climbing up the ladder to the second floor, I decided to go next to the third one instead, since all that was on the second floor were sleeping bunks, a spinning wheel thing, and a treadmill.

The third floor was filled with more sleeping bunks, unfortunately, but it was my luck that the one marked number eight was the one that apparently belonged to Commander Salerno, since I found her journal on the unmade top bunk. And after flipping through it, it was clear to me that…

...I had _no_ idea what she was talking about.

All I understood was that she was looking for a number four, but even then I didn't understand why.

Closing the book and putting it into my backpack, I climbed up to the fourth and final floor of the barracks, only to stop when I saw a map on a part of the surface of the moon, with scribbles and locations on it. And the same question that was in her journal, "Where is… number four?" I frowned in confusion and I heard Slayton sigh through the comms.

 _"It looks like Salerno's on a wild goose chase. Her suit should be sending a tracking signal. Find the locator device in one of the lunar facilities and it should lead you right to her."_ he said and I nodded my head, looking around.

"Got it. Oh! And look! The computer!" I grinned, brightening up when I spotted the monitors on the far end of the floor. One was lit up, already powered on, so I assumed that was the one I was supposed to use.

Clicking the mouse, I noticed that there were two options: checking an email, and then working with the facilities control.

Clicking the email button first, I decided it wasn't a bad idea to see what Salerno, assuming it was her that used the computer last, was up to- the bad guys, not that I'm saying she is a bad guy, but they always have incriminating evidence against them in their emails or phones or something like that. "Hmm…" I hummed to myself, clicking each one and looking them over.

July 5th talked about how the space program was closing but how Salerno would finally be able to go home. July 6th talked about her return also; not only that, but something about peculiar findings. July 7th suggests Salerno found 'evidence of alien life'...

"...of course it's aliens…" I groaned, lowering my head and once more cursing my big mouth.

 _"Aliens don't exist Noel, relax."_ Darren chuckled and I scrunched my nose up.

"Easy for you to say, you're still safe on… on _Earth_ , while I'm stuck here on the moon where there are possibly 'little green men' that might come after me and eat my brain…" I muttered and Darren snorted in return.

 _"Zombies eat your brain, Noel, aliens just abduct you to create little alien babies."_ I could practically _hear_ the smirk in his voice and I scowled at the computer.

"You are… _so_ not helping…" I huffed and he laughed outright this time.

Anyway, July 8th is Salerno's final warning to return home and then after that, four days later on July 12th, the director had said that he was sending someone here to relieve her of her duties and return her home, safe and sound.

"I'm assuming I'm the one that is to relieve her of her duties…?" I questioned and the director sighed.

 _"Yes."_ he said and that was all I needed to know about that, before he spoke again. _"Enough though, you're to reboot the computer so you may gain access to the controls in the vehicle bay. Figure out the code and you'll override the system."_

"Right… code. Oh! The manual!" I grinned and then got out the manual I found in the locker in the vehicle bay, flipping it open to where a silly little bookmark was. And on the page were a bunch of control codes, of shapes and squiggles and I frowned, confused before I finally noted the buttons beside the computer.. "Reboot… reboot, right. Uhm… Square, rotating arrows, er… circle, x?" I tilted my head, looking from the book to the buttons and then back to the book. "Yeah! That's it," I nodded to myself and heard Darren chuckle once more, but I ignored him as I put the book away and then pressed the buttons, entering the code to override the system and gain access to the doors below.

I pushed the switch all the way up and watched the screen as the pixel door crashed open, and I did a little mental dance of victory before pulling away and I made my way back downstairs without any hesitation.

"On my way back outside!"

 _"Good job,"_ the director said and I beamed, pleased beyond belief.

-0-

The door was open and I was free to use the rover to get outside, and now all I had to do was find out where exactly Commander Salerno went. _"There are three buildings you can access, to find Salerno. The Rock Lab, the Bio-Dome, and the Research Facility. Your location is provided on the map installed into your rover. Good luck."_

"Okay, thanks," I smiled, beaming at the screen where Slayton's face popped up on the dashboard of the rover and my gaze flitted to Darren's, beyond happy to actually see him sitting at the controls, rather than just hearing his voice. "Halfway there, right Darren?" I asked and he grinned back at me, nodding his head.

 _"Yeah, halfway home,"_ he answered and I finally took in a deep breath, letting it out and relaxing completely as I began to head to the closest building near me: the Research Facility.

...except there was a giant meteor blocking my way.

 _"Don't worry, the meteor is no match for PASE Technology. Use your rover's winch to haul it away,"_ the director said and I looked back behind me at the back of the rover before nodding and I hopped out of the vehicle, making my way to the winch and I grabbed it, hauling it over to the meteor and hooking it up to the giant rock.

To my surprise, the rover drove _on its own_ \- Poptropica logic… _or_ the director was controlling it from the main base on Earth, but that was highly unlikely- but regardless, the meteor was now out of the way and I was free to enter the building now.

Luckily the eye scanner was broken, so I got in without any real trouble and upon entering noticed a bunch of science equipment _everywhere_. And further down the room was a large computer that, when I clicked on a few keys, told me information that I was fascinated to learn. "People can change their eye colors here?" I asked, blinking slightly in surprise.

 _"Of course,"_ the director said. _"It was new technology we were working on for… security purposes."_ he answered vaguely and I made a slight noise in confusion before shaking my head and I decided it didn't matter. _"We found a glitch with one of the colors though…"_ he added and I snickered lightly, rolling my eyes.

"So I read," I hummed, tilting my head before turning to look back at the doors that lead back outside. "Huh…" I breathed out, suddenly grinning with the realization that should I encounter one of those machines and _then_ a working scanner… well, I would be able to access it if I had the right eye color. "Hey Darren," I heard him make a noise in answer and grinned cheekily, "what do you think of the color purple?"

Darren chuckled in return and I heard the shift of a chair as it moved back, telling me he was leaning back, his arms no doubt crossed over his chest, _"I think…_ blue _is more your color, little magician."_ he answered, voice soft and I felt the warmth in my cheeks from the implication in his words.

"O-oh…" I squeaked and my blush only darkened when Darren laughed again. Turning my attention away from the computer, I came to a halt when I realized I couldn't go any further, heavy crates blocking my way and I groaned. "Great…"

 _"Problem?"_ Darren asked and I frowned before sighing and I shook my head.

"No," I said dejectedly, turning back around and towards the doors once more, "no problem."

 _"No, wait, don't leave the building,"_ the director spoke quickly and I paused, blinking in confusion. _"Heavy boxes, blocking the way, right?"_ he asked and I frowned, even more confused now.

"Y-yeah…?" I questioned, "How…-?"

 _"There's a machine above you on the third floor, reach it and you'll see why I stopped you,"_ he answered and I sighed in frustration before nodding and I did exactly that, making my way up the floors. It was then that I realized what he was talking about- air pressure and how it could change one's body- and it was also then that I realized exactly where I could change my eye color, the machine for it just on the second floor, past the air pressure machine.

Climbing into that machine first, I decided to get it over with, changing my eyes to purple and though I was worried at first, it did nothing but exactly that- changing my eyes from blue to purple. And after that, I decided to see just exactly how the pressure machine worked.

After fiddling with the machine I understood how it worked- low pressure made me bigger and high pressure made me shrink…

...and I _really_ don't want to talk about it.

It took a few tries, but eventually after figuring out that I had a limited amount of time before I was back to normal, I made it through the small gap between the ceiling and the top crate.

Before I went through the door though, I made sure to wait for my normal size to return, my face flaming with the embarrassment and I was extremely glad that no one at the base could see me right now.

"Ooh… I am _never_ going through that again and you most definitely cannot _make_ me," I snapped and I was startled to realize that I just caused the director to _laugh_ and if that didn't make me smile- just a little- well… it was good to hear him be anything other than annoyed, frustrated, or angry at either Darren or me.

When I did finally go into the next room, I never wanted to go back home more than I did then- the room was a nightmare and a maze and I _swear_ I'm going to be _sick_.

-0-

Grab the hose. Climb up, then left, then up, up _again_ , and _again_ , and then left again, then down and then finally down all the way to the incredibly horribly smelling Maintenance area. There was a beeping noise coming from the vent to the right and I knew even before Slayton said anything to me that the tracker device was in there.

It was only a matter of using the hose to get it out.

Once I had the locater, I left through the Bio-Waste panel and came back out into the main room of the Research Facility.

-0-

Using the locater, we all knew exactly where Salerno was hiding: _"Salerno's hiding in the Bio-Dome! Step on it!"_

"Right!"

-0-

When I made it to the Bio-Dome, I immediately went inside, flailing about when I did, "N-no gravity!"

 _"I can't wait to straighten Salerno out. She's been mumbling about aliens and secret codes… Frankly, it's embarrassing."_ Slayton huffed out and Darren snorted, and I didn't have to see to know he was glaring at the director.

 _"Hang in there Noel, almost there,"_ he said and I scoffed, flailing again.

"R-right… f-funny…" I stuttered, before trying to take a calming breath and I made to take my helmet off, hooking it securely to my backpack before slowly making my way through the room, struggling a few times to get through and over and under obstacles.

The Bio-Dome was filled with plants and creatures, but that was really no surprise there. What was a surprise were the pressure valves that exploded whenever I got too near them.

And after having passed a cork dispenser machine, I knew what to do: grab a cork, plug a valve, repeat.

-0-

Five valves plugged, ducking through and under and over trees, but when they were all plugged up, I was finally able to go through the opening at the top of the dome, and into another room. "Finally…" I muttered, mostly to myself, and was glad when no one answered back through the comms.

Going up, I used the ladder as leverage before finally surfacing in a small storage room, where- the second I realized it- I grinned when I discovered Salerno hiding behind one of the hanging storage nets.

"Come out Commander!" I told her, trying to keep still while addressing her, "I'm here to take you home."

"I can't go yet." she said when she floated into view, and she looked _awful_ under her helmet. "Not when I'm so close to finding the last alien structure!"

 _"How can she be so_ sure _they're built by aliens?"_ Darren questioned with a snort and I refrained from rolling my eyes, but I decided it couldn't hurt voicing his question back to her.

"Carbon dating showed the artifacts to be older than the moon itself." she snapped back, "They were _placed_ here."

 _"Right… sure they were…"_ Darren mumbled and I barely managed a whisper for him to stop.

"They're radioactive… if only I had a Geiger Counter, I would have found the last one by now…" she muttered, almost to herself, but I heard it nonetheless.

"I'm sorry Salerno, I really am… but I really think you should come back with me." I told her and she jerked back, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Never!" she hissed and I barely had any time to react before she was moving a hand behind her to press a button on a keypad and then suddenly the airlock gate was open and I watched with wide eyes as she made her escape out of it.

Letting out a sharp yell of shock and terror, I flailed about and flinched as several objects flew past me. _"Noel!"_ Darren shouted and I couldn't reply, looking around wildly before finally grabbing ahold of one of the nets, hoping to whatever gods out there that the net wouldn't snap or come apart. _"Noel! What's going on!?"_

"D-Darren…" I choked out, eyes closed tight, and then finally, _finally_ , the gates closed and though trembling, I released the net with aching fingers and let out several shaky breaths. "S-she got a-away… I-I'm sorry…" I managed and heard the director's frustrated sigh, but only tried to focus on Darren's voice and his words.

 _"Are you okay…?"_ he asked and I managed a slow, hesitant nod.

"Y-yeah…" I murmured and he sighed in relief.

 _"Use the locater. I don't care what you have to do, just_ find _her and bring her back. That's your mission."_ the director said and I grimaced, but nodded again regardless of the state of my racing heart and aching lungs.

"O-okay…" Looking around, I floated slowly to the ground and settled as best as I could against one of the storage chests, just to catch my breath. But it was only then that I realized that Salerno had dropped something and my eyes widened when I found out what it was. "A key card…"

" _You haven't been to the Rock Lab yet. Maybe she's there, the key card might come in use there too,"_ Darren said and then sighed, _"Just… be careful, okay? I'm starting to think something more is going on here than we realize. And Salerno is dangerous… she's already tried to risk your life once. She'll do it again…"_

"I… I know… t-thanks…" I told him, smiling softly before finally tucking the card away and I made my way back outside and into the rover.

It was time to make my way towards the Rock Lab.

-0-

It was a good thing that I had already changed my eye color, because both an eye scan and a key card was required here, to gain access into the building. And after using both, I made my way inside to where I used the belts- I only knew that was what they were called because my dad once told me when I watched him fix the vacuum a long time ago- to make my way all the way down to the lowest floor.

Using the belts again on the right side of the room, I made my way to the top where I found a door that led to the next room.

Salerno was nowhere to be seen though… _"Gave you the slip, huh? She's a craft one, and your friend is right, dangerous too. Look around the lab a bit, though. You might still find something you can use."_ the director said and I nodded, without a word, too busy doing just that.

Looking at the robot, I realized that Salerno had attached the locater device to it and without it, I had no idea where she could be now.

But I wasn't about to give up hope.

Not when finding her was my only ticket back home.

After looking through everything in the lab, uncovering different tech and artifacts, I finally found something I could use: the Geiger Counter that Salerno was looking for. _"Ha! I'll bet Salerno wishes she'd found that before ditching you. Figure out how to move that thing,"_ he said, but I was already looking at the poles propped against the walls before he'd said anything, _"and I'll signal your rover to come to you."_

"Yeah… sure," I said, a little distracted, "Now… just how do I move those?" I wondered to myself, climbing down and then back up using the crates, examining the poles before finally giving the one at the very end a hard push, almost falling myself when the pole finally fell where I wanted it to. "Perfect!"

Making my way back over to the counter, I pushed it to the rover below and hooked it to the vehicle, before finally climbing into it.

I definitely didn't need Slayton to tell me what to do this time because I knew: I had the counter now. Which means I can find the fourth artifact and draw Salerno out of hiding to finally bring her home.

-0-

X marks the spot, as the treasure hunters and the pirates always say.

When I stopped by the glowing rock, I used the winch to pull it from the ground, only to fall back when the rock turned out to be a giant glowing alien pillar.

"S-she was right…?" I choked out, eyes wide and I shivered and trembled because I was screwed. I _really_ didn't want to deal with aliens, but I _knew_ now that Salerno was right. Aliens existed. And whether or not they would actually show… I had no idea. "D-Darren…?" I breathed out and I heard as he swallowed, hard, the noise carrying over through the comms.

 _"It's okay… doesn't mean they'll be around…"_ he said, trying to be reassuring, but it wasn't really working.

"We've been wrong every step of the way… what makes you think now will be any different?" I asked him in a whisper and he sighed.

 _"…I don't know…"_ he answered and for several seconds, I didn't move… didn't _want_ to, but I had to eventually.

The pillar was showing me something, where to go, and I had to find it. Before Salerno did.

So I got up and without even bothering to dust my suit off, I climbed back into the rover and made my way to where the light was pointing.

And X really truly did mark the spot.

Purple and red lights crossed each other at the center of the map and I stopped the rover, climbing out before I could give it another thought.

I made my way over to the spot under where the lights crossed, but before I could do anything more, Salerno made her way over to where I stood. "You did it! You're… you're not going to still turn me in, are you?" she asked, looking hesitant and I sighed, deflating a little before shrugging.

"Well… I guess… as long as we're here…" because she had a shovel and I was curious and the second I said that she lit up like a thousand stars and I was happy because _I_ made her that happy.

 _"Noel…"_ Darren growled in warning but I ignored him and smiled as I watched Salerno get straight to digging.

But nearly a minute in, we both froze when the ground started to rumble and my eyes widened in realization. "Watch out!" I shouted, but I was far too late, the ground caving in under our feet and we screamed in terror before we hit the ground, rolling hard over the rocks and the dirt that covered the cavern. "O-ow…" I muttered, sitting up and I cracked my eyes open before closing them tight when I felt a sharp blinding pain in my head.

"A-are you okay?" Salerno asked from beside me and I opened my eyes again, turning towards her and I sighed in relief when I saw she was unharmed, though her suit was nowhere to be seen.

"Y-yeah…" I said and she sighed softly before nodding and then she helped me remove my helmet, hooking it once more to my backpack. "Are you?"

"A few bumps and bruises, but… I'll be alright…" she answered with a smile and I smiled back before frowning.

"Darren…?" I called through the comms, worried that I'd upset him by ignoring him. I waited a few seconds and the comms crackled in response. That was when I truly began to panic. "D-Darren? Please answer…!"

"Oh dear… communications are down, aren't they?" she asked and I sucked in a sharp breath before nodding and I turned away, standing up, trying again.

"C-come on… p-please…" I tried to get an answer, over and over, but every try failed. "This can't be happening… i-it just _can't_ …" I breathed out, taking in several shallow breaths to try and calm another panic attack, but the only thing that managed to calm me down was when I heard a sharp creaking noise and both Salerno and I looked over to see a large wheel turn only slightly. "W-what…?" I choked out and Salerno laughed.

"W-we did it!" she cried out, and looked at me with a grin. "Come on!"

"W-wait!" I reached out for her but she took off just before I could grab her and I had no choice but to follow.

And what we saw beyond the wheel was… incredible.

Technology neither of us had seen before lined the cavern halls and I was in awe, momentarily forgetting my panic.

"Look at these pictures… from dinosaurs to… to us! Look! They've been waiting for us!" she pointed out excitedly and I couldn't help but grin back at her, a little of her excitement bleeding into me. But the further we went, the less she started to look excited and the more worried she looked, "I… I don't know if it's safe to go on…" she said and I sighed, shaking my head and reaching out to rest my hand on her shoulder.

"But it's too late to turn back now," I finished for her and she nodded, slow and hesitant, before starting forward again.

And then we saw symbols carved into the walls and a strange machine in the middle of the cavern. "Look, a switch!" Salerno pointed to the far side of the cavern and I turned my attention to what she was talking about. "Go pull it and see what it does," she added and I snorted, but reluctantly decided it was worth a try.

"Okay…" I murmured and she moved back to stand over by the machine while I made my way, slowly, over to the switch, staring nervously at the purple screen with the weird symbol. "Okay… I-I can do this…" I whispered, nervous and anxious and still excited all the same. But more than anything, I was curious.

And you know… curiosity always kills the cat.

I just… I just wish that Darren was here… and then maybe I wouldn't be so scared.

When I pressed the switch, the screen turned green and suddenly the cavern was rumbling again and I turned swiftly, eyes wide to the machine, making my way back over there and over by Salerno. "W-what's happening!?"

"I think it's a portal to their world!" she grinned, her own eyes wide, and I choked on my breath, "I've got to go through!"

"No!" I immediately argued against that, shaking my head furiously. "It's too dangerous! You don't know what's on the other side!"

She sighed then and looked at me with sad eyes, "I know that you were supposed to bring me back… but I'm sorry," she said and turned her attention to the machine, "that's not _my_ mission." she took a step forward and I clenched my fists, taking my own step forward. "My mission is through here."

"S-Salerno..." I tried, but then the machine was powering up and I was thrown back by the force, my arms coming up to cover my eyes from the bright light, a sharp high pitched noise making itself known. When I looked back, eyes squinted, I saw her jumping towards it and I cried out, trying to reach for her. "Salerno! _No!_ "

...and then she was just… _gone_.

"C-Commander…" I choked out, trembling now, and I closed my eyes tightly, unable to keep the tears at bay.

It was several minutes before there was finally noise in the comms again and I choked on my breath, _"Kid…? Kid! What's happening? What_ happened _? I haven't been able to reach you until now. Do you have Salerno?"_ I heard the director's voice and lowered my head, shaking it sharply, but I refused to voice the answer, lest my voice break with all that's happened. _"Hey!"_

 _"Are the comms back up? Do you have him? Is he okay? Answer me, damn it! Noel!"_ when I heard Darren's voice, though, I couldn't help it.

"D-Darren…" I cried, burying my head in my hands. "S-she's gone…" I choked out and that was the final straw that broke the camel's back. "She's… she's _gone_ …"

The director sighed then, _"This is a sad day for all of us… come on, kid… let's get you home."_

-0-

When I was back on Earth, on the island, I wasn't sure what all was happening. All I knew was that I wasn't in space anymore and Salerno was gone. "Noel!" Darren rushed towards me and I gave him a weak smile in return, before turning my attention to the director when he walked over to me.

"You did good, kid. Thanks for trying to bring her home." he said and I sighed, deflating a little, looking down at the ground when I registered the saddened voices of Salerno's colleagues.

"We'll really miss her…" the old man sighed and the lady nodded her head in agreement.

"Other may have given up on space, but she never stopped exploring," she said and I let out a small chuckle, because if nothing else, I knew that was certainly true.

But before anyone could say anything else, there was suddenly an alarm on one of the screens and I jerked my head up, as Darren and the director turned their own to the screen the old man stood under. "W-what…?"

"Hey! We're getting a transmission!" Darren took my hand and we followed the director over to the largest screen. "I'm putting it on the screen now!"

We all turned our attention to the largest screen and for a few seconds nothing happened and then-

-then Salerno appeared on the screen, looking happier than I've ever seen her and I grinned, laughing with the relief and pride when she grinned and held up and shook a board that had the words, 'Mission Accomplished' written on it. "S-she did it…" I breathed out and suddenly the others were joining me with their own excitement and happiness.

"She did it!" the director exclaimed, "She really did it!" His excitement was only temporarily quelled when suddenly a man with dark hair and dark eyes walked through the doors, "Director Mcnabb!"

"No, I'll tell you what she did," the man, Roger, said, a smirk on his face and I grinned back when his eyes caught my own. "That heroic woman got people excited about space again. The president just called and promised whatever money we need to keep the space program going." he said and Darren and I looked at each other, matching grins on our faces and he nudged me in his excitement as Akaeli squawked and fluttered her wings.

"That's amazing, sir!" I told him and he chuckled, nodding his head as he watched, for a few moments, the others behind us babbling excitedly about this news.

"And, for you," he started again, turning his attention back to us, "a special commendation," he added, taking a medallion from his pocket and handing it over to me. "You've earned this, for everything you've gone through for helping us."

"T-thank you…" I murmured, clutching the medallion tight in my hands and I turned back to Darren, smiling now and he smiled back before nodding his head.

"Come on then, our work here is done," he said and I couldn't have agreed more.

-0-

When we got back to the blimp, I had attached the medal securely to a ring before sticking the ring back into my backpack and we made ready to set off. It was only after we set off, back in the skies once more and over the ocean, that I realized Darren was staring at me and I fidgeted nervously where I stood, leaning against the basket.

"W-what…?" I asked after a few more seconds and he chuckled slightly, shaking his head when I turned to look at him, half curious and half confused.

"Nothing…" he hummed and then added, "see, I told you, though, blue suited you better."

My eyes widened when I realized what he was talking about and I turned swiftly away, a warm blush staining my cheeks and he laughed at my reaction. "S-shut up!" I huffed out, though I couldn't help but smile- just a little- when Akaeli laughed too.

Eventually Darren quieted and a comfortable silence hung over them for a few minutes as they enjoyed the peace and the cool ocean air around them. When he finally spoke again, his voice was soft and the emotion genuine, "I'm glad… you're okay…" he whispered and I didn't even bother turning to look back at him, looking out instead over the ocean and I smiled, happy and relaxed.

"Me too…"


End file.
